Gift of Miracles

The gift of miracles is one of those mentioned by St. 
Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians (xii, 9, 
10), among the extraordinary graces of the Holy Ghost. 
These have to be distinguished from the seven gifts of 
the Holy Ghost enumerated by the Prophet Isaias (xi, 2 
sq.) and from the fruits of the Spirit given by St. 
Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians (v, 22). The seven 
gifts and the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are 
always infused with sanctifying grace into the souls of 
the just. They belong to ordinary sanctity and are 
within the reach of every Christian. The gifts 
mentioned in the Epistle to the Corinthians are not 
necessarily connected with sanctity of life. They are 
special and extraordinary powers vouchsafed by God only 
to a few, and primarily for the spiritual good of 
others rather than of the recipient. In Greek they are 
called charismata, which name has been adopted by Latin 
authors- they are also designated in theological 
technical language as gratiae gratis datae (graces 
gratuitously given) to distinguish them from gratiae 
gratum facientes, which means sanctifying grace or any 
actual grace granted for the salvation of the 
recipient.

The gift of miracles, as one of these charismata, was 
expressly promised by Christ to His disciples (John, 
xiv, 12- Mark, xvi, 17, 18), and St. Paul mentions it 
as abiding in the Church . " To another [is given] the 
grace of healing . . . To another, the working of 
miracles "- (I Cor., xii, 9, 10). Christ imparts this 
rift to chosen servants as He did to the Apostles and 
disciples, that His doctrine may become credible and 
that Christians may be confirmed in their faith, and 
this the Vatican Council has declared in chapter iii " 
De Fide ". This gift is not given to any created being 
as a permanent habit or quality of the soul. The power 
of effecting supernatural works such as miracles is the 
Divine Omnipotence, which cannot be communicated to 
either men or angels. The greatest thaumaturgus that 
ever appeared in this world could not work miracles at 
will, neither had he any permanent gift of the kind 
abiding in his soul. The Apostles once asked concerning 
a cure of demoniacal possession: "Why could we not cast 
him out ? Christ replied, this kind is not cast out but 
by prayer and fasting (Matt. xvii, 18 sqq.). Eliseus 
could not raise to life the son of the Sunamitess with 
his staff.

The grace of miracles is therefore only a transient 
gift by which God moves a person to do something which 
issues in a wonderful work. Sometimes God makes use 
instrumentally of contact with the relics of the 
saints, or visits to sacred shrines for this purpose. 
The miraculous work is always the effect of 
Omnipotence, nevertheless, men and angels may be said 
to work miracles in a threefold way

* by their prayers invoking a miraculous effect; 

* by disposing or accommodating the materials, as it is 
said of the angels that they will in the resurrection 
collect the dust of the dead bodies that these may be 
re-animated by the Divine power, 

* by performing some other act in co-operation with the 
Divine agency, as in the case of the application of 
relics, or of visits to holy places which God has 
marked out for special and extraordinary favours of 
this kind.

To Christ even as man, or to His humanity, was granted 
a perpetual and constant power of miracles. He was able 
of His free will to work them as often as He judged it 
expedient For this He had the ever-ready concurrence of 
His Divinity, although there was in His Humanity no 
permanent quality which could be the physical cause of 
miracles.

Benedict XIV tells us sufficient with regard to 
miracles in their relation to sanctity of life when 
explaining their estimate in the cause of the 
beatification and canonization of the saints. He says: 
It is the common opinion of theologians that the grace 
of miracles is a grace gratis data, and therefore that 
it is given, not only to the just but also to sinners 
(though only rarely). Christ says that He knows not 
those who have done evil, though they may have 
prophesied in His name, cast out devils in His name, 
and done many wonderful works. And the Apostle said 
that without charity he was nothing, though he might 
have faith to remove mountains. On this passage of the 
Apostle, Estius remarks: For as it offers no 
contradiction to the Apostle that a man should have the 
gift of tongues or prophecy, or knowledge of mysteries, 
and excel in knowledge, which are first spoken of; or 
be liberal to the poor, or give his body to be burned 
for the name of Christ, which are afterwards spoken of 
and yet not have charity =07 so also there is no 
contradiction in a man having faith to remove 
mountains, and being without charity (Treatise on 
Heroic Virtue, III, 130).

These graces manifest themselves in two ways. One way 
as dwelling in the Church, teaching and sanctifying 
her, as, for example, when even a sinner in whom the 
Holy Ghost does not abide works miracles to show that 
the faith of the Church which he preaches is true. 
Hence the Apostle writes: God also bearing them witness 
by signs, and wonders, and divers miracles, and 
distributions of the Holy Ghost, according to his own 
will (Heb ., ii, 4). In another way, the manifestation 
is made by the graces of the Holy Ghost as belonging to 
him who performs the works. Hence in Acts it is said 
that St. Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did 
great wonders and signs among the people (Acts, vi, 8). 
Here we have a distinction clearly drawn out as to the 
manner in which gratiae gratis datae may be to the 
advantage of the person receiving them as well as to 
the utility of others, and how it is that by these 
graces persons without sanctifying grace may perform 
signs and wonders for the good of others. But these are 
rare and exceptional cases and real miracles can never 
be performed by a sinner in proof of his own personal 
sanctity or in proof of error, because that would be a 
deception and derogatory to the sanctity of God Who 
alone can perform miracles.

A. DEVINE 
Transcribed by Tomas Hancil

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