Do you believe in Miracles?

[Kerry]

Do you believe in Miracles?

St Bernadette, as she appears to this day,
within her gold and crystal sarcophagus,
in the convent chapel at Nevers in France

A friend phoned me yesterday and, in the course of our conversation, mentioned that he had recently heard something about a saint whose body had not decayed following death. He wasn't sure, he said, but he thought it might have had something to do with Lourdes. He was curious to know more and asked me if I'd look into it for him. I advised my friend that it was probably St Bernadette and promised I would get back to him. Later that night, I did some intense googling and emailed my friend the information he sought.

It turns out that following her death in 1879, Bernadette Soubirous' body was exhumed by the Church on three occasions - in 1909, 1919 and 1925. On the first occasion, the body was described as being "incorrupt," even though the crucifix and rosary she was holding had oxidized. On the second occasion, a doctor declared that the body appeared to be mummified. And on the third occasion, a precise imprint of the face was molded, so that a wax mask could be made. This was common practice for relics in France, as it was feared that the blackish tinge to the face and the sunken eyes and nose would make an unpleasant impression on the public.  Imprints of the hands were also taken, for the making of further wax casts.

In short, even though the apparently incorrupt body of Bernadette was viewed as a miracle contributing to her canonization, the body as it appears  in the gold and crystal sarcophagus at Nevers, is not visibly the actual  body of Bernadette. What's visible is a reclining female figure, clothed in a nun's habit, clutching a rosary in her hands. Her face and hands are covered in wax, meaning nothing of the real  Bernadette is visible, even though it is apparently there, beneath the habit and wax.

All of this got me thinking about miracles. Are they real? Do they happen? What's your opinion?
  

St Bernadette in her sarcophagus.
Is this the incorrupt face of a saint,
or just a beautiful wax mask?

[David In Indy]

Other.

Sometimes I believe in miracles and sometimes I don't. These days I tend to lean towards not believing in them. I suppose I am going through a phase of spiritual darkness right now. But I tend to believe most things like this have a very logical scientific explanation behind them. This does not mean I don't believe in God or a higher power, however. Because I do. I'm just beginning to be very skeptical about these so called miracles. The Catholic Church is always noticing miracles and deeming things a miracle, and most of the time these "miracles" have been proven to be anything but.

As for the incorruptible saints, yes, they are very interesting. But miraculous? The jury is still out on that one as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks Kerry! This was a very good idea for a poll!

[David In Indy]

OT

In regards to "incorruptible saints", here are a couple of links to websites discussing this phenomena, along with pictures.


http://listverse.com/2007/08/21/top-10-incorrupt-corpses/

http://www.catholicapologetics.info/library/gallery/incorrupt/incorrupt.htm

[Lynne]

I can't vote until I get home, but no, I do not believe in miracles in the traditional religious sense. I think miraculous things can occur, but they're usually a result of hard work by people toward accomplishing a common goal. 

Would curing HIV be miraculous?  Sure!  But the credit is owed to the doctors and scientists who have labored for three decades.