Have you ever witnessed or experienced a miracle?

[chaunceygardner]

Yes, I believe I did witness one.

Many years ago, my pregnant wife was crossing a street in the downtown of a busy city and was struck head on by a speeding taxi. She was bounced in front of the vehicle several times before coming to a stop. I have no idea how she survived. Even more amazing, although she suffered cuts, scrapes and bruises, she had no broken bones or internal injuries. Despite being in the first trimester and having had one miscarriage already, she did not lose the baby. She spent about five days in the hospital and more time recovering at home. A little over six months later, our first child was born. I called her our miracle baby, our "golden child". I truly believed that my wife and our baby lived for a reason, to fulfill a purpose, for there is no other reasonable explanation.

BTW, when she was struck by the taxi, my wife was crossing the street to visit a Cathedral.

[JDaniel]

Originally Posted by PumpkinSeed

Wasn't really sure where to put this, but the question is in the title. I'll be interested to read your responses. I myself have not, or not that I know of, but I hope someday I can.

PS:

I believe I have. Years ago, a friend of mine's sister was hit by a car. She was in a coma for three - four weeks, without response to any stimulus. Finally, the consensus of the doctors decided that taking her off life support was the best option. Thus, they called in the family.

Most of the family, and some friends, was present, outside her room at the hospital, but, they were awaiting two more relatives that were on their way. While they were waiting, a Pastor, who was the Pastor of the Church where the accident occurred, was making his rounds through the wards. Recognizing that this was the young girl who was hit in front of his Church, and discovering that she was about to be put down, he asked the immediate family if he could go in and pray over her. Since they were waiting anyway, her mom said OK.

About 40 - 45 minutes into the praying, the Pastor came out of the room and told the mom that her daughter was sitting up and asking for her by name. She is still alive. Call it what you will, I call it a "miracle." Prior to then, I was pretty well on my way to being a card-carrying atheist. From that point on, I began to change. This was 22 years ago.

God bless,
jd

[CHRISTINE77]

Yes every Spring!

[PumpkinSeed]

Originally Posted by JDaniel

PS:

I believe I have. Years ago, a friend of mine's sister was hit by a car. She was in a coma for three - four weeks, without response to any stimulus. Finally, the consensus of the doctors decided that taking her off life support was the best option. Thus, they called in the family.

Most of the family, and some friends, was present, outside her room at the hospital, but, they were awaiting two more relatives that were on their way. While they were waiting, a Pastor, who was the Pastor of the Church where the accident occurred, was making his rounds through the wards. Recognizing that this was the young girl who was hit in front of his Church, and discovering that she was about to be put down, he asked the immediate family if he could go in and pray over her. Since they were waiting anyway, her mom said OK.

About 40 - 45 minutes into the praying, the Pastor came out of the room and told the mom that her daughter was sitting up and asking for her by name. She is still alive. Call it what you will, I call it a "miracle." Prior to then, I was pretty well on my way to being a card-carrying atheist. From that point on, I began to change. This was 22 years ago.

God bless,
jd

Amazing. Sad how an atheist will see this and say 'just a coincidence'. But us believers know it is something much more amazing than just 'luck'.

[JDaniel]

Originally Posted by PumpkinSeed

Amazing. Sad how an atheist will see this and say 'just a coincidence'. But us believers know it is something much more amazing than just 'luck'.

PS:

Yes it is. I posted this about a year or so ago, when someone else created a similar thread. I was treated to all sorts of scientistic possibilities for explanations. Oh, and by the way, the Pastor of which I speak, was a Baptist, not a Catholic. Although, my current Church, the Church of the Resurrection, is right across the street from said Baptist Church. She was hit almost directly in between the two Churches.

She was given up for dead. And, in mere moments, the hospital would have finished the job, had it not been for divine intervention.

God bless,
jd

[NonServiam]

Originally Posted by PumpkinSeed

Amazing. Sad how an atheist will see this and say 'just a coincidence'. But us believers know it is something much more amazing than just 'luck'.

Well, since you specifically mentioned atheists, I feel compelled to comment on this. Keep in mind, however, that I'm not trying to downplay the significance of the event for the family, nor am I trying to downplay the significance of the family bond. Obviously, I think that any family would regard the experience as significant: I'm not questioning the experience or its perceived significance; I am, however, going to question the *interpretation* of the event as a "miracle."

Based on the story, this event was not necessarily "coincidence." It could be, for example, that the girl in the coma was religious (or at least had a religious background), such that hearing a prayer from the appropriate religion triggered some reserve of strength deep inside of her that enabled her to "fight back" against her condition.

Remember, they say that coma victims can hear what's going on around them -- or part of them can, anyway. Doctors often encourage people to talk to coma victims because sometimes simply the sound of another voice can help pull them out of their condition.

That would be a psychological explanation, but not a supernatural explanation. In a similar way, someone who grew up in a Hindu culture might be deeply stirred by hearing prayers to Lord Shiva said over her hospital bed: it wouldn't demonstrate that Shiva is real.

Another option is that the repetitive sounds of the prayer -- forty minutes of prayer is a long time, and the sounds of prayer can produce a droning effect similar to what one hears in mantrayoga practices -- triggered some sort of change in that particular person's psyche.

Another option is that the pastor's prayers were silent but some unconscious behavior created by his "prayer" was somehow "picked up" by the coma victim and positively affected her.

And, of course, another option is that it's a coincidence: this particular coma patient was going to wake up sooner or later, and the fact is that for every coma patient who is going to wake up, if someone sits and prays long enough, eventually the person will wake up during a prayer.

Anyway, I write all of this not to try to "convince" you of anything or to "test your faith" or any other daft motivation you probably want to attribute to me: I say it merely to point out that there are a lot more options than "miracle."

In fact, given the law of averages, we would expect that some percentage of coma victims who wake up are going to wake up in time with some sort of coincidence (they wake up during a prayer, they wake up right at the start of their favorite show playing on a television, they wake up exactly during a crack of thunder, etc.). In fact, what would be "miraculous" is if such coincidences never happened at all.

[wcknight]

Originally Posted by NonServiam

Well, since you specifically mentioned atheists, I feel compelled to comment on this. Keep in mind, however, that I'm not trying to downplay the significance of the event for the family, nor am I trying to downplay the significance of the family bond. Obviously, I think that any family would regard the experience as significant: I'm not questioning the experience or its perceived significance; I am, however, going to question the *interpretation* of the event as a "miracle."

Based on the story, this event was not necessarily "coincidence." It could be, for example, that the girl in the coma was religious (or at least had a religious background), such that hearing a prayer from the appropriate religion triggered some reserve of strength deep inside of her that enabled her to "fight back" against her condition.

Remember, they say that coma victims can hear what's going on around them -- or part of them can, anyway. Doctors often encourage people to talk to coma victims because sometimes simply the sound of another voice can help pull them out of their condition.

That would be a psychological explanation, but not a supernatural explanation. In a similar way, someone who grew up in a Hindu culture might be deeply stirred by hearing prayers to Lord Shiva said over her hospital bed: it wouldn't demonstrate that Shiva is real.

Another option is that the repetitive sounds of the prayer -- forty minutes of prayer is a long time, and the sounds of prayer can produce a droning effect similar to what one hears in mantrayoga practices -- triggered some sort of change in that particular person's psyche.

Another option is that the pastor's prayers were silent but some unconscious behavior created by his "prayer" was somehow "picked up" by the coma victim and positively affected her.

And, of course, another option is that it's a coincidence: this particular coma patient was going to wake up sooner or later, and the fact is that for every coma patient who is going to wake up, if someone sits and prays long enough, eventually the person will wake up during a prayer.

Anyway, I write all of this not to try to "convince" you of anything or to "test your faith" or any other daft motivation you probably want to attribute to me: I say it merely to point out that there are a lot more options than "miracle."

In fact, given the law of averages, we would expect that some percentage of coma victims who wake up are going to wake up in time with some sort of coincidence (they wake up during a prayer, they wake up right at the start of their favorite show playing on a television, they wake up exactly during a crack of thunder, etc.). In fact, what would be "miraculous" is if such coincidences never happened at all.

Really !!! your explanations are a lot more unbelieveable than what truely happened.

Doctors are about to pull the plug and KILL this person, and the patient just happened to finally hear 45 minutes of talking that pulls her out of it !!???

That's patently more absurd than us believing in the tooth fairy !!!

[HelenRose]

I personally believe that when we witness a solar eclipse we are withnessing a miracle. Them mere fact that we exist in the very tiny short period of time when the moon is just the right size and the just right distance between the earth and the sun for us to see the corona is miracle enough for me to apprecriate God's universe.

[PumpkinSeed]

Anyone else?

[pablope]

Originally Posted by PumpkinSeed

Anyone else?

Not me, personnally...but a friend.

He had blocked arteries, requiring immediate bypass heart surgery. Prior to being admitted, he drank the water from Lourdes that they brought with them after taking a pilgrimage there. At the hospital, the doctor decided to xray again....the doctor could not detect any blocked arteries. Prior to this also, his wife had notified friends and family....and we were all praying the rosary, divine mercy at their house.....for a successful operation.

[tonyrey]

Originally Posted by NonServiam

How exactly does one demonstrate to oneself that an experience is actually a miracle and not just some normal, natural working of the universe that one didn't understand.

How exactly does one demonstrate to anyone including oneself that miracles have never occurred, never occur and will never occur?

[HelenRose]

Originally Posted by NonServiam

..............
Anyway, I write all of this not to try to "convince" you of anything or to "test your faith" or any other daft motivation you probably want to attribute to me: I say it merely to point out that there are a lot more options than "miracle."

In fact, given the law of averages, we would expect that some percentage of coma victims who wake up are going to wake up in time with some sort of coincidence (they wake up during a prayer, they wake up right at the start of their favorite show playing on a television, they wake up exactly during a crack of thunder, etc.). In fact, what would be "miraculous" is if such coincidences never happened at all.

Do you actually believe that we are unaware that there are a lot more options than "miracle"?

Of course we know that there are other options!!!

But the option of a miracle is still on the table and I am grateful that I have been given the miracle of God's grace to see it.

[hopeful01]

Every time I see a patient in cardiac arrest who regains a pulse, I witness a miracle.

[ThinkingSapien]

Originally Posted by HelenRose

Do you actually believe that we are unaware that there are a lot more options than "miracle"?

Of course we know that there are other options!!!

But the option of a miracle is still on the table and I am grateful that I have been given the miracle of God's grace to see it.

I don't think it was his(?) intention to remove any options from the table. Take a look at it in the context of what he was responding to.

Originally Posted by PumpkinSeed

Amazing. Sad how an atheist will see this and say 'just a coincidence'. But us believers know it is something much more amazing than just 'luck'.

Originally Posted by NonServiam

Well, since you specifically mentioned atheists, I feel compelled to comment on this. Keep in mind, however, that I'm not trying to downplay the significance of the event[...]Anyway, I write all of this not to try to "convince" you of anything or to "test your faith" or any other daft motivation you probably want to attribute to me: I say it merely to point out that there are a lot more options than "miracle."[...]

In fact, given the law of averages, we would expect that some percentage of coma victims who wake up are going to wake up in time with some sort of coincidence (they wake up during a prayer, they wake up right at the start of their favorite show playing on a television, they wake up exactly during a crack of thunder, etc.). In fact, what would be "miraculous" is if such coincidences never happened at all.

In otherwords, he expressed the possibility of a coincident and explitly stated that miricles were not being removed from the possibilities.

[Charlemagne II]

Not that this is a true miracle, but the fireplace mantle clock that my mother gave me stopped at exactly the hour she died. It stopped because it had broken and I had to take it to be repaired. The clock man said that other customers had shared with him the same experience of a clock breaking at the time of the death of a loved one.