“Ask a Priest: Should We Put More of a Spotlight on Miracles?”

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest
Q: I’ve been a Catholic for 27 years and I’m just now learning about the Eucharistic miracle of Argentina in 1996. My question is this: As an evangelical Church, why don’t we lean into these miracles more sternly? Especially with as science-obsessed as our culture has become, it seems like it might be a wonderful evangelical tool. Is there something I should be cautious about if I lean into a Eucharistic miracle as an evangelist? – J.K.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: While miracles can give a great boost to a person’s faith, their effectiveness in evangelization is sometimes limited.

There are exceptions, of course. One miracle that had enormous impact on evangelization was the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe which appeared in 1531 in Mexico and which helped to convert millions of the indigenous people to the faith.

But that was something of an exception. Miracles, including Eucharistic miracles, aren’t always the great persuaders that we think they should be.

Miracles require a bit of faith or at least an openness to the supernatural. This isn’t always present in people. This might explain why even today some people simply shrug when they look at the image of Guadalupe or read about the miracle of the sun at Fatima or hear the evidence of Eucharistic miracles. Such skeptics simply remain unconvinced.

None of this is new in history. Jesus did numerous miracles – feeding the multitudes, curing the sick, raising the dead – yet he still faced skepticism. Remarkably, even people who knew of Our Lord’s miracles taunted him on Calvary. “He saved others; he cannot save himself. … Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:42).

Perhaps all this is one reason why the Church might seem to downplay miracles when it comes to evangelization. To unbelievers and skeptics the miracles might seem like pious fables.

Moreover (and this might sound odd), miracles don’t reveal anything new about the faith. In fact, they aren’t considered by the Church to be essential to the faith.

All the most important truths of the faith for our salvation have already been revealed by Christ, though we are still unpacking the contents of his teaching. Those truths are accessible in Church teaching.

What this means in practice is that the Church bases its work of evangelization more on the preaching of the Gospel and on works of charity rather than on the extraordinary occurrence of miracles.

For conversion means to accept Christ as savior and to live in accord with his teaching. Conversions based on miracles, while valuable at times, can be shaky. Unless a person undergoes a change of heart, the allure of a miracle can fade.

None of this is meant to denigrate miracles. They can be a great help to a person’s faith. But they won’t always be an enduring motive for turning one’s life over to Christ. This kind of commitment requires a deeper, long-lasting response from a person.

(For more reading, and a different perspective, see https://www.catholic.com/index.php/magazine/online-edition/miracles-and-evangelism.)

Whenever you are involved in the work of evangelization, a first step will be your own prayer life.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!