July 28, 2004
The Miraculous points to Truth
Miracles were used by Jesus to prove He was the person He claimed to be. From early times, the Catholic Church has relied on miracles as proof that a person was in heaven (two documented miracles are required before canonization of a Saint). The unique and inexplicable nature of Miracles is a way God points us to truth.
Why do I bring this up? Miracles also point to another truth of the Catholic faith: the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. Over the years, there have been numerous Eucharistic miracles, which primarily consist of the bread and wine actually turning into skin and blood. Non-Catholic scientists (sometimes atheists) have studied these miraculous events in detail to try and explain them using secular terms. Many of these scientists have later converted solely because of these events. Two examples:
The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. In the 8th century, a priest, who is after all human, in Lanciano, Italy had doubts about whether the Eucharist really was the body and blood of Jesus. Until one day, during Mass, the bread and wine visibly changed into flesh and blood. To be exact, it turned into heart tissue, complete with veins. The blood type has been shown to be AB. Testing began in 1574, was undertaken again in 1970, and finally again in 1981 by a well known doctor in Italy. You can click the link above for more details including pictures – or you can go to Italy and see it for yourself at the Church of St. Legontian.
The Eucharistic Miracle of Sienna. Again in Italy, but this time in 1730, a different type of miracle occurred. Consecrated hosts, which become the body and blood of Christ during the consecration, were stolen from a Church in Sienna. A few days later they were found and returned to the Church. But oddly enough, after some time had passed the hosts were not deteriorating as they should. In fact, they seemingly looked new. Since then they have been tested and tasted to see why this preservation is occurring, but there is no scientific explanation. The little Church in Italy still puts them on display each month for viewing. These hosts have survived 250 years and still look and taste new.
There are many other miracles surrounding the Eucharist, but this is just two of them (chosen because they are different). These are examples of God miraculously intervening in our lives in order to solidify our faith and strengthen our understanding. Some people believe that clear, visible miracles have ceased to exist, but in the Catholic Church this is not true. Miracles continue to occur – from Saints whose bodies do not decay to mystical appearances of Christ to Eucharistic miracles – regularly in the Catholic Church. This is just another way of God pointing to His Church and its special role in the world.
God bless,
Jay
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After I read the page on the Lanciano miracle that said both the blood type of the Shroud of Turin and the Heart Tissue had AB blood types I started talking to an Athiest friend on Instant Messanger. We were talking about the odds of the existence of God in several scenerios and how it seems any way you look at the existence of God is the favorite. Here is the example we found with these miracles. Mathamatically speaking, all the odds of different probabilities of one thing have to add up to 100%. In this case, there are two possibilities, either the two miracles are fakes, or God got involved. So, if we take the odds of the two being faked, and minus it from 100%, we have the probability of God existing based on this example.
Now, both the shroud and the heart tissue appeared in Europe but in different places at different times in history, so if they were frauds they couldn't have been made by the same person, but both would be made by Europeans. AB is a very rare blood type among europeans, at 3% in France and Italy where the objects appeared (source = http://www.bloodbook.com/world-abo.html). The odds of the first faker being AB are 3 / 100, the odds of the second faker being AB are 3 / 100, if you times those numbers together the odds of both being faked are 9 over 10000.
Since these miracles occured long before blood types were known it would have been impossible for some kind of conspiracy. This means that the other 9991 over 10000 are the odds that both objects came from Jesus.
Summary:
Random Probability of both miracles being hoaxs / faked : 9/10000.
Odds of God's Existenece : 9991/10000
Odds that God Exists 1110 times more likely than the odds that he doesn't and the miracles are hoaxes.
Just some food for thought for Athiests.
What / Who is your money on?
The AB blood group is one of the most recent - probably not in existence before the Germanic tribes began their nomadic wanderings and met with the Asiatic people of the Steppes or were forced on further by the Mongols. This precludes anything bfore the 4th century - AD that is.
The likelihood is that the B group Mongoloids and the A group Europeans intermarried or interbred at some stage giving rise to the AB group.
It did not exist in the time of Jesus Christ.
Your assumption therefore that God 'got involved' has no currency or relevancy.
I am not an atheist but I'd say the atheist 'friend' doesn't know much science at all, if any.
Why let factual knowledge get in the way of a good story.
Posted by: RNH at October 4, 2004 01:46 AMJay,
I have a question regarding miracles. Is there a process the RCC goes through before it claims that something is a miracle from God?
In Revelation 13 the beast AKA the anti Christ will perform all sorts of signs and wonders. He even will be mortally wounded in the head and appears to come back or rise from the dead..
Satan even in his fallen state can appear as an angel of light. He tries to conterfit God and God's miracles..
I guess a criteria I would use would be does the miracle put all of the focus on God the Father or on Jesus? Or does it put the focus on something or someone else? If people start venerating an object or an Icon or a person rather than God the Father, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit
I would tend to believe that the miracle or the Object is not from God but from some other source. My feeling is if it takes away any
Glory or Honor from God or from Jesus or from the
Holy Spirit and puts the focus on someone or something else then it is probably not a bonefided Miracle and not legitimate.
What are your thoughts ?
Clem
Posted by: Clem at October 5, 2004 12:15 PMHow does anybody really know if AB blood type is recent? Because a doctor who claims that AB type is recent says so? This same doctor says that all people used to be Type O.
The nearest relatives to humans in the animal world are Chimps and Gorrillas. Chimps according to the testing that has been done are 85% Type A and 15% Type O. Gorrillas are 85% Type B and 15% Type O. Now if these animals who have probably lived much the same for millions of years can have differing blood types, why can't humans have differing blood types? Genetic drift would explain differing blood types and why most (if not all) American Indians originally had Type O.
The Shroud of Turin is very impressive. I attended a lecture given by a man and woman who were among the people allowed to study the Shroud. Carbon 14 age dating indicates only about 600 years BUT THE SHROUD WAS DAMAGED BY A FIRE AND REPAIRED AND IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT THE PIECE THAT WAS AGE DATED WAS FROM THE REPAIR MATERIAL!
AB blood was found on the Shroud. Remember, Jesus came from the Middle East, not France. Only 3% of French people today have AB blood. But the percentage with AB blood may be higher in the Middle East. The percentage is something like 8% in India.
There is no evidence whatsoever that humans did not have differing blood types from the time that humans came into existance.
Posted by: terry at December 25, 2004 10:53 PM
