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
[New Advent Catholic Website]
http://www.knight.org/advent
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright � 1913 by the
Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright �
1996 by New Advent, Inc., P.O. Box 281096, Denver,
Colorado, USA, 80228. (
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