St. Francis de Sales believed in miracles. And he attested that miracles are a “rule of faith”. He supported this viewpoint with strong examples.
HOW IMPORTANT MIRACLES ARE FOR CONFIRMING OUR FAITH.( The Catholic Controversy, Article VII, Chapter 1)
“ In order that Moses might be believed God gave him power to work miracles (Ex. iv.) ; Our Lord, says S. Mark (ult.), confirmed in the same manner the Apostolic preaching ; if Our Lord had not done such miracles men would not have sinned in not believing in him, says the same Lord (John xv. 24) ; S. Paul testifies that God confirmed the faith by miracles (Heb. ii. 4).
Therefore a miracle is a sound proof of the faith, and an important argument for persuading men to believe ;for if it were not our God would not have made use of it.”
But are miracles no longer necessary after 2000 years of faith?
St Francis claimed in his time that
“And it is needless to answer that miracles are no longer necessary after the sowing of the faith, for I have not only shown the contrary above, but I am now not maintaining that they are necessary, but simply that when it may please God to work them for the confirmation of some article we are obliged to believe it. For either the miracle is rightly persuasive and confirmatory of belief or not : if not, then Our Lord did not rightly confirm his doctrine ; if it be, then when miracles do take place they oblige us to accept them as a most convincing reason, — which of course they are.”
“Thou art the God who doest wonders, says David(Ps. Ixxvi. 15) to Almighty God, therefore that which is confirmed by miracles is confirmed on the part of God ;now God cannot be author or confirmer of a lie, that therefore which is confirmed by miracles cannot be a lie, but must be absolute truth.”
So we do not have faith BECAUSE of miracles, but our faith INCLUDES miracles.
For Reflection and Discussion:
Christmas is often viewed as a “time for miracles”. What miraculous moments have occured in your own life?
How do we distinguish Divine Providence from a miracle?
Have extraordinary occurences brought you to belief or enhanced a long-standing faith?