fighting for our faith in the infinite god
“See, I will make the shadow cast by the sun on the stairway to the terrace of Ahaz go back the ten steps it has advanced.” —Isaiah 38:8
God by definition is infinite and therefore can and will go beyond the laws of the natural world, which He created. He certainly will go far beyond humanity’s very limited understanding of nature. When the Lord goes beyond the laws of nature, we call this a miracle. For example, the Lord healed King Hezekiah of a terminal illness (Is 38:5) and combined this with an awesome miracle of making the “shadow cast by the sun on the stairway to the terrace of Ahaz go back the ten steps it [had] advanced” (Is 38:8).
Because miracles derive from God’s infinite nature, they are necessarily very significant in God’s plan of salvation. For example, Christianity is based on the astounding miracle of the Incarnation. Miracles always have been a sign of God’s kingdom (Lk 11:20). The salvation of the whole world by Jesus’ death on the cross and His Resurrection from the dead is the miracle of miracles. Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, was another miracle. The Church began with miracles. Every sacrament is a miracle. The world will end with the miracle of Christ’s final coming and the resurrection of the dead.
Because miracles permeate the Christian life, the devil is using our secular humanistic society to program us to automatically doubt all miracles. This is a way of robbing us of our faith. Therefore, abide in God’s Church and her word. “Have no love for the world, nor the things that the world affords” (1 Jn 2:15).
Prayer: Father, protect me from being brainwashed “by the god of the present age” (see 2 Cor 4:4).
Promise: “It is mercy I desire.” —Mt 12:7
Praise: When making a decision, John asks himself “What are the eternal consequences of this?”
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for One Bread, One Body covering the period from June 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio September 18, 2019"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.