Opening Prayer
Lord, I acknowledge that no one has power over nature but Thou, the one who made it. I thank Thee for the miracles recorded in Thy Word, which serve as proof of Thy presence and a claim upon my attention. Help me to see Thy hand in the natural and the supernatural alike, remembering that Thou who gavest nature its laws canst alone change them.
I petition Thee for the ability to discern Thy presence in every storm and every plague. Whether Thou workest through the instruments of nature or choosest to act without them, remind me that Thou art the Creator who alone can undo what Thou hast done. Strengthen my faith through the witness of Thy mighty works, which are the buttresses of my hope.
Amen.
John 10:1-10
1Amen, amen I say to you: He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4And when he hath let out his own sheep, he goeth before them: and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5But a stranger they follow not, but fly from him, because they know not the voice of strangers. 6This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But they understood not what he spoke to them. 7Jesus therefore said to them again: Amen, amen I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All others, as many as have come, are thieves and robbers: and the sheep heard them not. 9I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved: and he shall go in, and go out, and shall find pastures. 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly.
Blessed John Henry Newman
Blessed John Henry Newman explains that miracles are God’s “claim upon our attention.” They remind us that He who “gave nature its laws, alone can change those laws.” This aligns with the Church Fathers‘ defense of the Supernatural. In the Liturgical life, we see this most clearly in the Eucharist, where bread and wine become the “True Body and Blood”—a perpetual miracle of Grace. As members of the One Body, we recognize that God “has no need of nature” to accomplish His will, working His “great work” for our salvation.
Newman notes that whether through Prophets or Apostles, God worked miracles to “show his presence with his servants.” A miracle is a sign that “God was there, though they saw him not.” It is the proof that “None can work a miracle but God,” signaling His direct visitation to the earth.
“None can work a miracle but God. When miracles are wrought it is a proof that God is present. And therefore it is that, whenever God visits the earth, he works miracles.”
— Blessed John Henry Newman
Mary and the Magisterium
Mary’s life was a series of miracles, from the Incarnation to her Assumption. Her Assumption is a “fitting” miracle that recommends itself to our reason. The Magisterium confirms these miracles; the Bishop acts as the “servant leader” who ensures the “power of the Sacraments”, which comes from God alone, is rightly channeled. The Bishop preserves the unity of the flock by pointing to these signs of God’s presence, ensuring we do not attribute them to mere “nature.”
- Do I ever have trouble believing that miracles have taken place?
- Is anything impossible for the almighty Creator and Ruler of all things?
Closing Prayer
I believe in you, God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. Teach me to discern your presence in every situation.
Amen.
