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Do You Believe in Miracles?
C.S. Lewis and Saint Gemma in a naturally supernatural world.
Matthew Galgani
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the path to sainthood requires not just one, but two miracles. In a step known as beatification, a person can attain “Blessed” status with one. The second miracle must occur after beatification.
Both miracles must typically be scientifically inexplicable.
That’s where many people draw the line. Believing in miracles is akin to believing in myths, fairy tales and extraterrestrials. Where’s the scientific proof?
By definition, there is none.
What is a Miracle?
In Miracles, C.S. Lewis delves into that question, distinguishing between “natural” and “supernatural” forces.
Take rain as an example. A downpour after a long drought is a completely natural event.
But can it also be a miracle?
The answer for Lewis is yes.
But for rain to be miraculous, it requires a “supernatural” intervention. God or some other supernatural entity would have to somehow step in to make it rain. And to believe that requires a leap of faith, not a reliance on science.
Since such an intervention cannot be scientifically proven, for someone to call it a miracle first requires belief in the existence of a supernatural realm, that is, one outside of nature.
Importantly, Lewis emphasizes that in the event that a supernatural miracle occurs, then it will subsequently adhere to the rules of nature.
But by definition, miracles are not possible in a purely natural world. So, of course, someone who does not believe in anything beyond the natural realm will never believe in miracles.
(I’ll be the first to admit that this short blog post certainly does not do justice to C.S. Lewis or Miracles, which I highly recommend.)
The Miracles of Saint Gemma
In 1940, the Catholic Church canonized the stigmata Saint Gemma Galgani (1878-1903). But it wasn't for her displaying of the wounds of Christ on the cross. It was for these two supernatural events.
Miracle No. 1:
Saint Gemma's first scientifically inexplicable miracle was the healing of a 10-year old girl suffering from inoperable, cancerous ulcers.
After multiple attempts to heal her medically had failed, the girl, named Elisa, learned that Gemma was to be declared "Blessed” by Pope Pius XI. That same day, Elisa took a picture of Gemma, removed her bandages, and placed Gemma's picture directly on her ulcers, instantly healing the young girl's wounds.
Miracle No. 2:
The second medically inexplicable miracle happened in the same town of Lappano, Italy. A farmer named Natale Scarpelli had become bedridden from an ulcerous tumor in his leg.
His daughter had heard of the now-Blessed Gemma from the prior miracle. With the family happening to have a relic of Gemma, they prayed for the farmer as his daughter took the relic and made the sign of the cross over her father's ulcer. By the following morning, he had made a miraculous recovery.
(For more details on these events, visit StGemmaGalgani.com.)
“Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.”
— Saint Augustine
Doubting Nikki and Saint Gemma
Family lore claims we are related to Saint Gemma. Along with the works of C.S. Lewis, that inspired my psychological thriller, Doubting Nikki — A Tale of Faith and Delusion.
In the book, I replaced the historic Saint Gemma with the fictional Saint Caterina, also a stigmata who displayed the wounds of Christ.
As the narrative unfolds, a string of inexplicable “miracles” ensnares Nikki and her husband, Cami, in a media frenzy stoked by two controversial religious figures, an unscrupulous Hollywood producer and a mentally disturbed ex-con turned self-anointed “Christian soldier.”
Nikki finds her world turned further upside down when Cami is suddenly and mysteriously murdered. Or so it would seem.
Descending down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, she finds herself in doubt of everything, even life and death. And, of course, miracles — even those she wants to believe she has personally experienced.
Will she find deliverance from her delusions, or further destruction of her once-happy life?
Read the book to find out!
Related:
Saint Gemma and Doubting Nikki
C.S. Lewis, Walter Hooper…and Me?
Myth and Truth
Certainly, That's Delusional
