There are many well-documented miracle accounts that defy natural explanation when honestly examined. The argument from miracles argues from these to the existence of God. Below, we will look at “the miracle of the sun,” which occurred in 1917, and then add some additional thoughts to fill out the argument.
Fátima and the Miracle of the Sun
70,000+ people—skeptics and religious alike—witnessed the famous “miracle of the sun” at Fátima, Portugal on October 13, 1917. This occurred after Mary, the Mother of God, reportedly appeared multiple times to three children, requesting them, among other things, to pray the Rosary and promising that WWI would soon end. The reports of these Marian apparitions is what drew such an enormous crowd on the day of the miracle. The children, in fact, had told others that the Virgin Mary would provide a sign for all to see on that day. When the day came, it happened: people reported a several-minute-long period in which the sun was “dancing spectacularly” in the sky. Indeed, many religious skeptics were converted because of this.[1]
Notice—importantly—how much the setting of a miracle determines how one should interpret the evidence. Certainly, it is one thing for 70,000+ people to witness strange, and, arguably, physically inexplicable phenomena, all at once. But, it is another thing entirely for this to happen in a religious context such as alleged Marian apparitions. Evidence for miracles, in other words, should be interpreted in context, since a religious setting seems to offer additional clues with respect to when, and if, a miracle occurred.
Expecting Miracles and Assessing Their Weight
Of course, if God exists and founded the Catholic Church, then miracles of this sort—specifically, apparitions, Eucharistic miracles, miracles of healing, and all the rest—are just the sort of thing we’d expect; and, as it happens, they are just the sort of thing for which we have quite an abundance of evidence.
Admittedly, no ironclad deductive proof can be offered in support of miracles. Rather, people should see miracles as signs to confirm that God exists, loves us, and wants us to enter into union with Him. And seeing how there is massive, reliable testimony in support of miracle accounts throughout the history of Christianity, and which continues strongly today, we should take such signs seriously.
Example Dialogue
Now that we’ve heard the argument, let’s see what it might look like in a real-life conversation.
Evangelist stands near a street corner with scapulars in hand. He smiles and says hello to passerby.
Evangelist [E]: Would you like a scapular?
Passerby [P]: [stops and takes it] Sure. What is it?
E: It’s something to be worn around the neck as a sign of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The idea for the scapular was given to St. Simon Stock, as part of an apparition in the 12th Century, as a reminder of the power of prayer and the protection Mary can give believers.
P: Sounds pretty nice … maybe a little too nice. Apparitions? That sounds like an hallucination. It sounds kooky.
E: Yeah, I can see why one would think that. Do you mind, however, if I offer you one good reason that I believe in apparitions of the Virgin Mary?
P: Ok, I’ll give it a shot.
E: There’s good evidence that apparitions of the Blessed Mother throughout history are valid and not the imaginings of delusional people. Many times there have been miracles involved with them!
P: What kind of miracles?
E: My favorite example would have to be the Miracle of Fátima, where over 70,000 people—many of whom were religious skeptics—witnessed the famous “miracle of the sun” after a series of Marian apparitions in 1917.
Here’s how one secular newspaper reported the event:
“… [T]he silver sun… was seen rotating, turning around the circle of pushed-away clouds! Only a scream was in all mouths; thousands and thousands of God’s creatures fell to their knees on the soaked earth…! The light was bluish in an exquisite blue, as if coming through the stained-glass windows of an immense cathedral, spreading out in that gigantic nave warmed by the hands that rose in the air…. The blue slowly faded so that the light seemed to pass through yellow stained glass…. Everyone wept, prayed, hat in hand, in the grandiose & unique impression of the anticipated miracle! There were seconds, moments that seemed like hours, so vivid were they!”[2]
P: OK, but how can we be sure that these miracles are authentic, and not just wishful thinking or mass hallucinations?
E: Good question. Three thoughts come to mind in response.
P: And they are?
E: First, hallucinations tend to be private events. That, in fact, is what helps us to determine when someone is hallucinating: they’re seeing or hearing things that nobody else is. When multiple people attest to the same phenomena, it’s a strong indication that the event could be authentic.
P: Ok, and the second thought?
E: There were many disbelievers and critical people who also witnessed the miracle. Some of them reported it in secular newspapers, like I mentioned before, and admitted that they could not debunk what happened.
P: That is interesting. What, then, is the third thought?
E: The third one, is the specific, religious context.
P: What does that mean?
E: Well, it’s certainly one thing for 70,000 people to experience an otherwise inexplicable phenomenon, wouldn’t you agree?
P: Yes.
E: Ok, then it’s quite another for this phenomenon to occur after a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary, in which she promised that a miracle would take place. That, I think, is a really strong indication of an authentic miracle. Additionally, Mary had been appearing to request prayers and issued prophecies about WWI coming soon to an end, but also warned that another war would break out if her message was not heeded. These prophecies came to pass. For me, I think these miracles and prophecies serve as ongoing, confirmatory signs, not just of God’s existence, but of the truth of the Catholic Church.
P: And how would these miracles prove Catholicism?
E: Miracles have often affirmed the Catholic Faith. For example, there are miracles known as “Eucharistic miracles.” Have you ever heard of them?
P: No, I don’t believe that I have.
E: Can I tell you about one?
P: Sure, I’ve got a few minutes. Go ahead.
E: Catholics believe—and I get this may sound strange at first, but hear me out—that Christ offered his literal body, soul, blood, and divinity to the Church, which we can directly receive through Holy Communion by partaking in the Eucharist. In other words: a miracle occurs at every Catholic Mass, where normal bread and wine literally become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. We call this “transubstantiation,” which means “across substance.” In other words, the substance is changed, even if all the appearances are the same; yet, it still tastes like bread, looks like bread, etc.
P: Ok, and this is the “Eucharistic miracle” that you mentioned earlier?
E: Not quite. While a miracle in itself, there is something more specific. Throughout Church history, there have been many more obvious Eucharistic miracles which seem to strongly affirm this fundamental Catholic belief. For example: in Argentina in 1996, a priest discovered a consecrated host in the back of his church. In order to properly dispose of it, he placed it in a glass of water to disintegrate and locked it in the tabernacle. Well, a week later, he goes to check on it, unlocks the tabernacle, and the host hasn’t dissolved as one would expect but has turned into a rather large piece of human tissue. The priest reports it to his archbishop (who later became Pope Francis) and has it professionally photographed. It’s kept in water for three years, where it doesn’t dissolve. But that’s not even the most fascinating part.
P: Okay, I’ll bite. What is?
E: Since it hadn’t changed in those three years, the Church decided to send it to New York to be analyzed by a group of five renowned scientists. Where the tissue sample was from hadn’t been disclosed so the scientists have no idea what it is they’re examining. The conclusion? It’s heart tissue and it’s teeming with white blood cells that have penetrated the tissue wall, which means it was taken from someone who not only died recently but was heavily tortured and the tissue sample was extracted from the heart while the person was still alive! The host literally transformed into tissue from Jesus’s own heart!
P: If that’s true, that’s pretty amazing. But it could’ve been tampered with.
E: True, but consider the facts. The host was locked away, professionally photographed, and kept safe for three years. Not only that, consider the implication behind the assertion of potential tampering. The science described not only the tissue, but how it would have been obtained. To have the sample, then, someone would have to condone and order the torture, mutilation, and murder of a male with an AB blood type just to pass a scientific exam. Does that sound plausible to you?
P: Hm… put that way, tampering does seem less likely. All interesting stuff. I’ll have to look into it more.
E: I have some materials right here that can get you started on the research. Would you like to have them?
P: Sure, thanks.
E hands pamphlet to P.
Conclusion
Arguments from miracles can be a powerful evangelization tool, since they often provide the opportunity to share an incredible story—and we know how much people love a good story! Just be sure to emphasize how important is the religious context when assessing miracle claims, and how the experience of miraculous events in such contexts is just what we’d expect given the existence of God.
[1] Cf. Costa Brochado and George C.A. Boehrer (trans.), Fátima in the Light of History (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1955), 144-189.
[2] Santuário de Fátima, Documentação Crítica de Fátima III – Das Aparições ao Processo Canónico Diocesano 1 (1917-1918) [Fátima, Portugal: Santuário de Fátima, 2002], 331-332. Translation by Kevin J. Symonds, M.A.