Do you believe in miracles? I mean….do you really believe? In his book, “Exploring the Miraculous”, Michael O’Neill says that Catholics, by definition, have to believe in at least two miracles—that of Christ’s incarnation and His Resurrection. These are two pillars of the Catholic faith. For other miracles, belief is not required of the faithful. The Church simply says the miraculous event is worthy of belief. It is not surprising that some Christians have given up on miracles. They think that this kind of phenomenon belonged to the early church. They are seen as strange events that happened years ago, confirming the divinity of Jesus. But I tell you, I certainly believe! God is still in the business of miracles. There are events throughout history and to the present day which simply cannot be explained. These things show that we should never underestimate the power of prayer, faith and hope. In today’s Gospel we heard two such stories of God’s healing power. I’d like to tell you another story, perhaps a little closer to home.

Blessed Carlo Acutis will be canonized as the first millennial saint. This young man was only fifteen when he died of leukemia in 2006, and yet he gave so much to the Church of this century. I don’t have time today to dive deeply into the life of Carlo but I suggest you take some time on your own to learn more about him. He was a computer wiz kid who documented all of the Eucharistic miracles, using his cyber skills to spread the word about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Now, as you are probably aware, the Church requires two miracles to be considered for canonization. The second miracle attributed to Blessed Acutis was a 21-year-old girl who had a terrible biking accident in Florence, Italy. The doctors had given up all hope that she would survive the horrific head trauma. Her mother, however, did not lose hope. She went to the grave of Blessed Carlo Acutis and prayed for her daughter’s recovery. She even left a long heartfelt written prayer to him. That same day, the girl woke from her coma and began to talk. Her rehabilitation which should have been lengthy, took only one week.

You know, we all pray for miracles of one sort or another. Our prayers might be for small things like an impossible fourth-quarter comeback in a football game or finding a lost wallet or wedding ring. But they can also be prayers for something very serious like the recovery of a sick relative or friend. Are our prayers always answered the way we wish? No, they aren’t. Why some people are healed and others are not is a mystery that requires deep faith to accept. We simply do not know the mind of God and yet we are called to accept His will … whatever that may be. Remember that Jesus cares for each of us and does not want us to remain wounded, sick or hurt. Having said that, we have to accept that the thing that is best for us might not be the thing we are praying for. Only God knows what is best for us.

Are you suffering in some way today? Do you need a miracle in your life? The important message for today is that only Christ can heal our wounds. Only Christ can heal a broken relationship or marriage. Only Christ can give hope when there seems to be nothing but doom. Nothing is impossible when it comes to God. You may remember when Jesus said “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain ‘move from here to there’ and it will move.” Come in faith to Jesus like the afflicted woman in today’s Gospel. Let Him take you by the hand and raise you up, saying “My child, your faith has saved you.” Faith can move mountains.