CFS-WB-CH10

UNIT 3 CHAPTER 10 

Jesus Is with Us: 

Mary, the Saints, 

and the Eucharist 

188

Chapter 10 Overview 

You have learned in this unit about the miracles Jesus performed, as well as those done in His name. 

Throughout Church history, these miracles have been complemented by those connected with apparitions of 

Jesus’ Mother, the intercession of saints, and Eucharistic miracles. 

In this chapter you will learn that … 

■ Throughout the history of the Church, many miracles have been associated with apparitions of Mary, the 

intercession of the saints, and the Holy Eucharist. 

■ Contrary to popular belief, miracles are not a total suspension of the physical laws of science; though 

inexplicable, they are supernatural causes or events introduced by God into the natural patterns of 

nature. 

■ While there are many accounts of Our Lady appearing to the faithful in the history of the Church, the 

Church applies four specific criteria before approving Marian apparitions as valid. 

■ In the 20th and 21st centuries there have been many well-documented and scientifically confirmed 

miracles that occurred in connection with the canonization of well-known saints, and a number that 

manifest the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist. 

■ In a world largely governed by a materialistic view of reality, miracles validate the truth of God’s presence, 

goodness, and love for us. 

Bible Basics 

And a great portent appeared in heaven, a 

woman clothed with the sun, with the moon 

under her feet, and on her head a crown of 

twelve stars... 

—Revelation 12:1 

Connections to the Catechism 

■ CCC 963–966 

■ CCC 1373–1375 

■ CCC 2683–2684 

And he took bread, and when he had given 

thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 

“This is my body which is given for you. Do this 

in remembrance of me.” 

— Luke 22:19 

© Sophia Institute for Teachers 

189

Chapter 10 

Aa 

VOCABULARY 

Marian Apparitions: Places 

and times when Mary 

appeared to bring the 

message of her Son, Jesus, 

after she was assumed into 

Heaven. 

Miracles Associated with Mary, Saints, and the 

Holy Eucharist 

In Chapter 8, we mentioned that there were thousands of miracles associated 

with the Risen Jesus (done in His name). Throughout the history 

of the Church, these miracles have been complemented by those 

connected with apparitions of His Mother, the intercession of saints, 

and Eucharistic miracles. We will review several well-documented and 

scientifically tested miracles in this chapter. Such miracles help show 

that the Risen Jesus is still powerfully present in our age — manifesting 

Himself in ways that are open to scientific and medical testing. 

People sometimes think miracles require suspension of inviolable 

physical laws — in other words, believing in miracles requires accepting 

that God is somehow breaking the laws of science. But miracles can 

be seen as much more orderly interventions: God is simply introducing 

transphysical (supernatural) causes and events into the natural patterns 

of physical nature, just like the author of a play might introduce a new 

line of dialogue. In fact, many scientists view the complexity and regularity 

of nature’s laws (and the mind’s power to grasp such laws) as itself 

miraculous, indicating the presence of the same divine intellect that 

shows itself in the rare interventions that we commonly call miracles. 

Three Marian Apparitions 

The Church is quite careful about approving Marian apparitions as valid 

— in the past 500 years, there have only been nine approved apparitions. 

Approval requires four criteria: 

1. Moral certainty or great probability that something miraculous has 

occurred (i.e. it cannot be explained by natural causes or fakery). 

2. The person(s) receiving the alleged revelation must be mentally 

sound, honest, of upright conduct, and obedient to Church 

authority. 

3. The content of the revelation must be theologically and morally 

sound, and free of error. 

4. The apparition must yield consistent spiritual benefits: such as 

conversion and prayer. 

Let us now look at three notable apparitions that received this 

approval. 

190 Apologetics I: The Catholic Faith and Science 

© Magis Center

The Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe 

In 1531, the Spanish bishop of Mexico City was visited by a native Aztec 

named Juan Diego, who claimed that the Virgin Mary had appeared to 

him and told him to ask the local bishop to build a church on Tepayac 

Hill. Skeptical, the bishop told Juan Diego to request a miraculous sign 

as proof of this apparition. When Juan Diego returned, he told the 

The image on St. Juan Diego’s 

tilma, still on display today, has 

many extraordinary attributes. 

Miraculous Image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.. 


Unit 3, Chapter 10: Jesus Is with Us: Mary, the Saints, and the Eucharist 

191

ishop that the Virgin had sent him to Tepayac Hill where he would find 

the bishop’s sign. He dramatically opened his cloak (or tilma) to reveal 

the Spanish roses (not native to Mexico) that he had found growing on 

the hill. The more striking sign, however, was on the tilma itself, which 

was imprinted with an image of the Virgin who had appeared to Juan. 

Bishop Zumarraga was convinced of truth of the Virgin’s appearance to 

Juan Diego and built the church. The image, still on display today, has 

many extraordinary attributes: 

1. The tilma is still intact — the cloak is still structurally sound almost 

500 years later. Most garments of this kind disintegrate within 15 

years. 

2. The image of the Virgin was not painted — no brush strokes, 

sketches, or corrections are detectable. It appears to have 

been produced in a single step, according to analysis by NASA 

consultant Dr. Philip Callahan. 

The tilma is on display today 

at the Virgin of Guadalupe 

Basilica, the most visited 

Catholic shrine of the 

Americas. 

3. The image was not produced by any known pigment — animal, 

mineral or vegetable — according to analysis by Nobel Prizewinning 

biochemist Richard Kuhn. 

4. Like the tilma, the original image is still intact after almost 500 

years. The paint and gold leaf added onto the image in later years 

has cracked and flaked, but, inexplicably, the image itself has not. 

Alamy stock photo. 


© Magis Center

5. The Virgin’s eyes in the image exhibit scientifically accurate 

details — the curvature of the cornea, the Purkinje-Sanson effect 

(a triple reflection of an object or objects seen in a person’s eye, 

one of which is inverted, even a reflection of what the Virgin 

would have seen, such as the bishop and others present in the 

room when the tilma was unveiled) that would be difficult for any 

contemporary photographer and computer imager to produce, 

let alone an artist in 1531, to reproduce. 

Other miracles have been associated with the image over the centuries, 

including several healings and a remarkable incident in 1921 when 

a bomb detonated underneath the tilma yet failed to damage it (even 

though the explosion was strong enough to bend a brass crucifix nearby). 

Finally, the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 16th century 

Mexico carries an enduring spiritual and cultural significance. Our 

Lady’s appearance to St. Juan Diego caused the conversion of more 

than nine million people native to the Americas and many Spaniards 

within a decade of her appearance. Her message of love and affection 

of the native people of the Western Hemisphere still resonates to this 

day, and she is now considered to be the patroness of all the Americas. 

Juan Diego was canonized a saint by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002. 

The Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes 

The appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous at 

the Grotto of Lourdes in 1858 is probably the most well-known Marian 

apparition in history — not so much because of the apparition itself 

as the thousands of miraculous cures that have taken place through 

the water of the Grotto. On February 11 of that year, the 14-year-old 

Bernadette first saw the lady dressed in white with a blue sash, holding 

a golden Rosary. Speechless and scared, Bernadette was calmed 

when the lady invited her to pray the Rosary with her. Bernadette continued 

to see the lady several times between February and June, drawing 

rapidly growing crowds (especially after the lady revealed a spring 

whose waters produced many inexplicable medical healings). Alarmed 

by this runaway popularity, the state authorities briefly boarded up the 

grotto before bowing to popular pressure, and Church authorities convened 

a committee to assess the veracity of Bernadette’s apparitions. 

The apparition was judged authentic in January 1860, and Bernadette, 

who entered religious life after her experience, was canonized a saint in 

1933 by Pope Pius XI. Today, almost five million pilgrims per year visit 

the shrine at Lourdes, and hundreds receive extraordinary and miraculous 

cures. 

Our Lady’s 

appearance 

to St. Juan 

Diego caused 

the conversion 

of more than 

nine million 

people native 

to the Americas 

and many 

Spaniards within 

a decade of her 

appearance. 



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There have been so many miraculous cures reported at Lourdes 

that a commission of doctors and scientists was established to evaluate 

such reports. Since 1905, the Lourdes Medical Bureau has recognized 

70 documented cures as definitively miraculous according to the seven 

Lambertini criteria, among which are — the cure happened instantaneously, 

endured throughout life, was scientifically inexplicable, had 

perfect documentation before and after, and virtually no medical treatment 

of any kind prior to the cure. Additionally, the Lourdes Medical 

Bureau has documented over 7,000 scientifically inexplicable cures, 

but any small deviation from the Lambertini criteria, such as receiving 

prior unsuccessful medical treatment, disqualified them from definitive 

recognition. All the bureau’s cases are open to review, and information 

can be found online. Right now, we will look at three of these cases. 

1. MARIE BAILLY AND ALEXIS CARREL (1902) 

The cure of Marie Bailly was witnessed by the physician Dr. Alexis Carrel 

(who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in 1912 for his innovations in 

vascular surgery). Marie Bailly suffered from acute tuberculous peritonitis, 

which visibly distended her abdomen with large hard masses 

and crippled her with pain. At the spring of Lourdes, three pitchers of 

water were poured over her abdomen, at which point, according to Dr. 

Carrel’s notes, “The enormously distended and very hard abdomen began 

to flatten and within 30 minutes it had completely disappeared.” 

Marie’s pain was gone, and she went on to live an active life working with 

the sick and the poor as a Sister of Charity. The dramatic, instantaneous 

cure made international headlines. Dr. Carrel was previously an agnostic 

and skeptic who hesitated to affirm the existence of miracles, but 

based on what he had seen, he was drawn to keep visiting Lourdes over 

the years. Eventually, he was moved to recognize the existence of God 

and the soul, and he entered the Catholic Church. 

2. GABRIEL GARGAM (1901) 

Gabriel Gargam was thrown 52 feet when the train he was riding in collided 

head on with another train traveling at 50 mph. After eight months, 

his injuries had brought him to death’s door. A mere 78 pounds with gangrenous 

feet, Gabriel could only eat once a day through a feeding tube. 

His Catholic relatives prevailed on him to visit Lourdes, but in his condition, 

the strain of the trip itself nearly killed him. In fact, he blacked out 

when he was brought to the waters, and the attendants believed him to 

be dead. They covered his face and placed him in a carriage, but on the 

way back to the hotel, the carriage encountered a passing Eucharistic 


© Magis Center

procession, and the bishop gave him a Eucharistic blessing. Gabriel 

then sat up under his own power and even got out of the carriage to 

walk around. The entire crowd, including physicians, was astonished. On 

August 20, 1901, he was examined by 63 physicians, all of whom pronounced 

him completely cured. Before the cure Gabriel’s leg muscles 

were completely atrophied and his stomach and vocal cords were dysfunctional. 

Within seconds of receiving the Eucharist blessing, his leg 

muscles grew back to normal size and strength and his stomach and vocal 

cords were perfectly restored. No physical cause could be explained, 

then or now, for the cure. 

3. JOHN TRAYNOR (1923) 

A paralyzed right arm with atrophied muscles, partially paralyzed legs, 

daily epileptic fits, and a permanent hole in the skull — John Traynor’s 

injuries from machine gun fire in World War I were enough to persuade 

Since 1905, Lourdes Medical 

Bureau has found 70 healings 

to be without medical or 

scientific explanation. 

Healing Procession at Lourdes, Stained glass from the church of Nuestra 

Señora de Covadonga in Mexico City. Image courtesy Lawrence, OP. 



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The miracle of the sun was 

witnessed by over 50,000 

people, including the tens of 

thousands who had gathered, 

and others as far as 40km 

away, who had no expectation 

of seeing anything. 

Some of those looking at the Miracle of the Sun 

at Fatima, Portugal, 13 October 1917. 

everyone that a trip to Lourdes would kill him. They were almost right. 

But on his tenth outing at the spring’s baths, he felt his legs stir, and immediately 

after a blessing with the Eucharist, his atrophied arm (paralyzed 

for eight years) became strong enough that he could burst 

through his bandages, and he stood up and began to walk. His attendants 

put him to bed, fearing he might hurt himself, but he got up in the 

middle of the night and ran back to the Grotto to pray. So complete was 

Traynor’s transformation (even the hole in the skull was closed) that 

he went into the coal and hauling business, routinely lifting 200-pound 

sacks. In 1926, the Lourdes Medical Bureau certified that all Traynor’s 

injuries had been instantly and permanently cured in a scientifically inexplicable 

way. 

The many miraculous healings at Lourdes indicate the divine power 

working in the world, and more specifically point to God’s love. Even 

those pilgrims who do not receive physical healing at Lourdes often report 

spiritual renewal. They return to their lives aware of God’s loving 

presence, helping them with whatever crosses they must bear on the 

path to eternal life. 

Just as Mary’s appearance at Guadalupe showed her motherly care 

for St. Juan Diego and the people of the Americas, her appearance at 

the healing site of Lourdes brings that same motherly care to the afflicted 

of our own modern age. 


© Magis Center

Some people avoid a relationship with Mary out of concern to avoid 

idolizing her. While we certainly want to avoid worshiping Mary, we 

should not fear appreciating her vital role in the order of salvation. When 

the Father made all of us adopted children through His Son Jesus, He 

also made us adopted children of Jesus’ mother Mary. She accepts us 

within the divine-human family she initiated through her consent to be 

the mother of His Son. We are her children — not just in the first century 

— but for all time — and the miracles of Guadalupe and Lourdes confirm 

this logic of familial love. 

The Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima 

In the spring of 1916, three Portuguese shepherd children — Lucia 

Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, were visited three 

times by an angel who identified himself as “The Angel of Peace.” The 

angel taught them prayers and encouraged them to spend time in 

Adoration. On May 13, 1917, the children were visited for the first time by 

the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Cova da Iria in Fatima, who appeared to 

them as exceedingly radiant. She wore a white mantle edged with gold, 

carried a Rosary, and told the children to devote themselves to the Holy 

Trinity and to daily recitation of the Rosary for an end to the First World 

War. The visions continued monthly until the final apparition on October 

13, 1917, at which Mary had previously promised an extraordinary miracle 

would occur. 

About 50,000 people had gathered to witness this promised miracle. 

It had been raining and then it began to clear. Lucia shouted, “Look 

at the sun.” The sun appeared to be rotating on its own axis and throwing 

out a variety of colors. It then appeared to approach the earth, 

causing many in the crowd to believe the world was ending. It then returned 

to its normal state. Though the ground had been quite wet from 

the rain prior to the miracle, the sun’s activity during the miracle dried 

the ground significantly, baffling many of the engineers and scientists 

present. (The amount of energy required for this would be extraordinary.) 

The miracle was variously described by reporters, doctors, and 

scientists, including three books of research assembled by Fr. John 

DeMarchi. The phenomenon was witnessed by people within a 40 km 

radius of the site, which is too narrow an area for an astronomical explanation 

(the whole world would have noticed if the sun itself was moving) 

and too wide an area for a mass hallucination explanation (some of 

the witnesses were miles away from the crowd and had no expectation 

of seeing anything). 



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Canonization: Declaration 

by the Catholic Church that 

a beatified soul is a saint. 

Two miracles credited to 

the person’s intercession 

are usually required before 

canonization. 

Ultimately, whether the event was produced by a convergence of 

highly unusual atmospheric factors (at a time and place somehow predicted 

months in advance by Lucia) or had a purely supernatural cause 

(such as a transphysical spinning lens or prism), it seems reasonable 

to conclude the presence of supernatural power. The miracle serves 

to verify the apparition and Our Lady’s message of prayer for world 

peace. Francisco and Jacinta, who died in 1919 and 1920 respectively, 

were canonized saints by Pope Francis in 2017. Lucia would later enter 

religious life as a Carmelite nun and lived until 2005. The cause for her 

canonization was opened in 2008, and she was declared a Servant of 

God (the first step in the process of sainthood) in 2017. 

Validated Miracles through the Intercession of 

Contemporary Saints 

There are many miracles from the 20th and 21st centuries that occurred 

in connection with the canonization of well-known saints that 

have been well-documented and scientifically confirmed by objective 

scientific panels. (Two documented, scientifically verified miracles are 

required before sainthood is declared.) When we consider that Pope 

Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis have canonized 

1,375 saints, it means that, as of 2022, in the last 45 years, the Church 

has scientifically documented 2,750 miracles pertaining to saints alone. 

Here is one example. 

A Miracle Attributed to Ven. Fulton J. Sheen 

Bonnie and Travis Engstrom were at home for the birth of their son James 

in September 2010. When the baby emerged, he was pulseless, his arms 

and legs flopped to the side, and he was blue in color. They discovered 

that his umbilical cord had become knotted during delivery, cutting off 

blood, oxygen and nutrition to the baby during the delivery process. The 

midwife and others urgently performed CPR during the 20-minute wait 

for the ambulance, but at the hospital, doctors could not resuscitate the 

baby, and after 61 minutes without breathing, were about to declare him 

deceased. Throughout the ordeal, the parents and friends had prayed 

through the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and just as death 

was about to be called, James’ heart began to beat normally. Despite 

the hour of cardiac arrest and massive oxygen deprivation. 

James Fulton Engstrom did not go on to manifest the organ failure, 

brain damage, or numerous other disabilities expected. He would grow 

up as a normal healthy child. A panel of medical specialists concluded 

that this recovery could not be explained by scientifically known causes. 


© Magis Center

Image courtesy Paralacre. 

Two Contemporary Scientifically Verified Eucharistic 

Miracles 

The act of transubstantiation is itself miraculous, but the term 

Eucharistic miracle usually refers to rare external signs of Jesus’ presence 

in the Eucharist — most notably bleeding hosts, or the transmutation 

of a consecrated host into a piece of cardiac (heart) muscle 

tissue. Usually, it is difficult to preserve the chain of evidence to certify 

such miracles, but two opportunities have come in the dioceses of 

Buenos Aires in 1996 and Sokolka, Poland in 2008. 

Crowds of the faithful wait 

in St. Peter’s Square for the 

Canonization of Pope John 

XXIII and Pope John Paul II. 

BUENOS AIRES, 1996 

A consecrated host was found desecrated at the Church of Santa 

Maria y Caballito Almagro in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fr. Alejandro 

Pezet placed the host in a glass of water to dissolve (the customary 

practice in such cases) and left it in the tabernacle. When Fr. 

Pezet opened the tabernacle a week later, he found that the host 

had been transformed into a piece of bloody tissue which was larger 



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Scientists in a New York 

lab (who did not know the 

true source of the sample) 

analyzed the tissue and 

concluded it was a fragment of 

heart muscle which had been 

taken from a living man who 

had type AB blood. 

Image courtesy Junior. 

than the original host. He notified Archbishop Bergoglio (the future 

Pope Francis), who asked him to have the host professionally photographed. 

It was decided to keep the host in the tabernacle without 

any publicity. 

After three years, the bloody tissue — unaccountably — had not 

decomposed. Archbishop Bergoglio asked that the tissue be scientifically 

examined, and it was sent to a scientific committee in New 

York (whose members were not told of the source). The histopathological 

examination — a medical examination of tissues — determined 

the sample was a fragment of heart muscle taken from the left 

ventricle. 

White blood cells were present (indicating the heart was alive 

when the tissue fragment was taken) and embedded in the tissue (indicating 

great stress to the heart, as from the person’s chest being 

severely beaten). Note that the presence of white blood cells requires 

that the tissue have been taken while the person was alive. The blood 

type was AB positive, consistent with blood samples from both the 


© Magis Center

Shroud of Turin and the Facecloth of Oviedo. The moral and logistical 

barriers to taking a tissue sample that meets these criteria and keeping 

it intact for three years in an ordinary tabernacle would certainly 

seem to point to a Eucharistic miracle. It can scarcely be imagined that 

the Church would torture a person, then surgically remove a piece of 

the left ventricle wall (while he was still alive, and which would have ultimately 

killed him) in order to fake a Eucharistic miracle. Inasmuch as 

this is out of the question, then the appearance of that tissue in place 

of the Eucharistic host would seem to be a miracle manifesting the 

Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. 

SOKOLKA, POLAND, 2008 

On Sunday, October 12, 2008, during a Mass at St. Anthony’s Church in 

Sokolka, Poland, a Eucharistic host was dropped by the pastor during 

the distribution of Communion. The pastor had the host put into some 

water to dissolve it, and then put it into a safe. When the host was 

checked one week later, it was found to have blood and what seemed 

to be tissue growing out of it. 

The archbishop then requested that histopathological studies 

be done. On March 30, 2009, the archbishop appointed an ecclesial 

commission to study the host because it had not deteriorated over 

several months, and research was done at the Medical University of 

Bialystok. 

The results of the histopathological tests were remarkable. The 

tissue part of the host was found to be cardiac tissue, which was completely 

integrated into the bread part of the host so seamlessly that 

it appeared to be growing out of the bread itself. During the analysis 

with the electron microscope, the outlines of the communicating 

junctions and the thin filaments of the myofibrils were visible, showing 

that the cardiac tissue was joined to the consecrated Host in an 

inseparable manner. Indeed, the analysis showed that the integration 

of the two substances could not be produced by any known human 

technology. According to one of the researchers, “Even NASA scientists, 

who have at their disposal the most modern analytical techniques, 

would not be able to artificially recreate such a thing.” Further 

analysis disclosed that the structure of the transformed tissue part of 

the host was identical to the myocardial (heart) tissue of a living person 

who was nearing death. Even more, the heart tissue was still alive 

and came from the upper left ventricle with living white blood cells 

performing activities to control infection. The studies proved that no 

foreign substance was added to the consecrated host. Rather, part of 



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The miraculously transformed 

host in Sokolka, Poland was 

placed on a small corporal, 

and is now displayed in a 

monstrance. Two independent 

studies concluded that the 

structure of the transformed 

fragment of the host is 

identical to the myocardial 

(heart) tissue of a living 

person nearing death. 

Image courtesy of St. Anthony of Padua in Sokolka, Poland. 

the host became heart muscle of a person near death. This kind of 

phenomenon is inexplicable by the natural sciences. 

There are numerous other Eucharistic miracles from around the 

world, including one from 2006 in Tixtla, Mexico, which is equally 

well-documented scientifically. When the evidence of these miraculous 

hosts is combined, it demonstrates not only supernatural power, 

but also the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. 

Conclusion 

The above three Marian apparitions (and the miracles associated with 

them), the intercessory miracles of the saints, and the two Eucharistic 

miracles are but a very small sample of miracles from throughout the 

centuries and even today. They are recounted here because they 

have been subject to considerable scientific scrutiny by experts who 

are believers and non-believers. Such miracles not only help give credence 

to the Christian Faith, the Risen Jesus, and His Real Presence in 

the Eucharist, but also ground the rich theology of the Blessed Virgin 


© Magis Center

Mary and the saints that constitute the mystical body and the living 

tradition of the Catholic Church. Our interactions with Mary and the 

saints help us experience God’s love and goodness, just as we often 

experience God’s love and goodness through the kindness and beauty 

of our friends and family in our communities. 

As we contemplate the life of the Virgin Mary and include her in our 

prayers — and further contemplate the lives of the saints, in their goodness, 

holiness and love — we put a prism in front of the light of God’s glory 

making it a myriad of interwoven colors and shapes — a veritable symphony 

of holiness and love. The miracles studied in this chapter not only 

serve to validate this view of God, but also reveal the same beauty that 

they validate. Miracles — scientifically and naturally inexplicable events 

occurring through apparitions and prayer — validate the truth of God’s 

presence, goodness, and love. They fill us with wonder, awe, fascination, 

and delight — the very thing lacking in a purely mundane materialistic 

view of reality. If we are to enjoy their richness to the full, we will also want 

to practice devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (through the Rosary) 

and allow ourselves to be moved by lives of the saints, who reflect the 

glory and grandeur of God. Above all, we will want to have particular devotion 

to the Holy Eucharist, which is the Real Presence of Jesus’ Body 

and Blood miraculously manifest through the Catholic Church He initiated 

nearly 2,000 years ago (a topic we will explore in Unit 5). 

But what are we to conclude about the question with which we 

began this unit? Is Jesus Emmanuel, “God with us?” Is Jesus who He 

claimed to be? 

The heart of Jesus’ message during His earthly life is that He is the 

Son of God, that God is unconditional love, and that He, as the Son of 

God, is also unconditional love. These claims give us a remarkable internal 

validation. For if He really is the Son of God as He claimed, then He would 

have made an unconditionally loving self-sacrifice to be with us and reveal 

Himself to us. This is perfectly consistent with what He says about 

Himself and His Father. Jesus’ words are consistent with who He is. 

Jesus gave us external proofs of His Divinity such as His Resurrection 

in glory, His gift of the Holy Spirit, and His miracles by His own authority. 

He also gives, as we will learn about in the next unit, certain external validations 

that He is unconditional love as well. When we put together all 

the pieces of the puzzle, we can conclude reasonably and responsibly 

that Jesus is the unconditionally loving Son of God, Emmanuel (“God 

with us”). In other words, Jesus is who He said He was. We must, however, 

be moved to this conclusion in our hearts as well in order to come to 

faith, which is a topic we will explore further in the next unit. 

The heart of 

Jesus’ message 

during His 

earthly life is 

that He is the 

Son of God, 

that God is 

unconditional 

love, and that 

He, as the Son 

of God, is also 

unconditional 

love. 



203

Focus and Reflection Questions 

1 What do well-documented and scientifically tested modern miracles help show? 

2 How can miracles be understood apart from suspending inviolable physical laws? 

3 What evidence indicates that the Church is careful about approving Marian apparitions? What 

criteria are required for approval? 

4 What is one extraordinary attribute of the tilma on which the image of of Our Lady of Guadalupe 

appears? How is it not explainable by natural causes? 

5 How does the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe fulfil the fourth criteria for an authentic 

apparition? 

6 Why is the Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes one of the most well-known Marian apparitions in history? 

7 How many cures at Lourdes have been documented as definitively miraculous? What does 

definitively miraculous mean? 

8 What do Marian Apparitions teach us about Mary’s relationship with us? 

9 What did Mary tell the children at her appearances at Fatima? 

10 What extraordinary miracle occurred on October 13, 1917? How does this miracle defy both 

astronomical and psychological explanation? 

11 What role does scientific verification play in the canonization of saints? 

12 How do the medical miracles attributed to St. Padre Pio, Bl. Fulton Sheen, and Pope St. John Paul II 

defy scientific explanation? 

13 What miracle occurred to a desecrated Eucharistic host in 1996? 

14 What do the miracles studied in this chapter (and many others) accomplish regarding our faith? How 

can we more fully enter into and enjoy the richness of the miracles of the Church? 


© Magis Center

Straight to the Source 

ADDITIONAL READINGS FROM PRIMARY SOURCES 

Homily of Pope Francis on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 2014 

On this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, let us first of all gratefully remember her visit and maternal 

closeness; let us sing her Magnificat with Her; and let us entrust the life of our peoples and the continental 

mission of the Church to her. When she appeared to St Juan Diego on the Hill of Tepeyac, she 

presented herself as the “ever perfect Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God” (Nican Mopohua); 

and so made a new “visitation”. She also hastened attentively to embrace the new American peoples, 

at their dramatic birth. It was as though a “great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the 

sun, with the moon under her feet” (Rev 12:1), taking upon herself the cultural and religious symbolism 

of the indigenous peoples, she proclaimed and gave her Son to all these new peoples lacerated by their 

mixed origin. 

… The Holy Mother of God visited these peoples and has wished to remain with them. She mysteriously 

left her sacred image imprinted on the tilma [cloak] of her messenger so we would feel her constant 

presence, thereby becoming a symbol of Mary’s covenant with these peoples, to whom she imparts her 

soul and tenderness. Through her intercession, the Christian faith began to grow into the most precious 

treasure of the soul of the American peoples, whose pearl of great value is Jesus Christ: a patrimony 

that has been passed on and is manifest still today in the baptism of multitudes of people, in the faith, 

in hope and charity of many, in the preciosity of popular piety and also in the American ethos which is 

shown in the awareness of human dignity, in the passion for justice, in solidarity with the poorest and the 

suffering, in the hope, at times, against all hope. 

1 What does Pope Francis suggest was the reason for Mary to appear to the Native American people? 

2 How did Mary present herself to the indigenous people? How did she show that she would remain 

with them? 

3 What according to Pope Francis is the ‘American ethos?’ 

Le Pelerinage de Lourdes 42, 45–47, 57–60, an Encyclical Letter of Pope Pius XII, July 2, 1957 

42. Only on condition of a return to regular reception of the sacraments, a regard for Christian morals 

in everyday life, entry into the ranks of Catholic Action and other apostolates recommended by the 

Church, can the great crowds expected to gather at Lourdes in 1958 yield - according to the expectations 

of the Immaculate Virgin herself - the fruits of salvation so necessary to mankind today.… 

45. But the world, which today affords so many justifiable reasons for pride and hope, is also undergoing 

a terrible temptation to materialism which has been denounced by Our Predecessors and Ourselves on 

many occasions. 



205

46. This materialism is not confined to that condemned philosophy which dictates the policies and 

economy of a large segment of mankind. It rages also in a love of money which creates ever greater 

havoc as modern enterprises expand, and which, unfortunately, determines many of the decisions 

which weigh heavy on the life of the people. It finds expression in the cult of the body, in excessive desire 

for comforts, and in flight from all the austerities of life. It encourages scorn for human life, even for 

life which is destroyed before seeing the light of day. 

47. This materialism is present in the unrestrained search for pleasure, which flaunts itself shamelessly 

and tries, through reading matter and entertainments, to seduce souls which are still pure. It shows itself 

in lack of interest in one’s brother, in selfishness which crushes him, in justice which deprives him of his 

rights - in a word, in that concept of life which regulates everything exclusively in terms of material prosperity 

and earthly satisfactions.… 

57. Go to her, you who are crushed by material misery, defenseless against the hardships of life and the 

indifference of men. Go to her, you who are assailed by sorrows and moral trials. Go to her, beloved invalids 

and infirm, you who are sincerely welcomed and honored at Lourdes as the suffering members of 

our Lord. Go to her and receive peace of heart, strength for your daily duties, joy for the sacrifice you 

offer. 

58. The Immaculate Virgin, who knows the secret ways by which grace operates in souls and the silent 

work of this supernatural leaven in this world, knows also the great price which God attaches to your 

sufferings united to those of the Savior. They can greatly contribute, We have no doubt, to this Christian 

renewal of society which We implore of God through the powerful intercession of His Mother. 

59. In response to the prayers of the sick, of the humble, of all the pilgrims to Lourdes, may Mary turn 

her maternal gaze upon those still outside the limits of the only fold, the Church, that they may come 

together in unity. May she look upon those who are in search, who are thirsty for truth, and lead them to 

the source of living waters. 

60. May she cast her glance upon the vast continents and their limitless human areas where Christ is 

unfortunately so little known, so little loved; and may she obtain for the Church freedom and the joy of 

being able to respond everywhere, always youthful, holy, and apostolic, to the longing of men. 

1 Pope Pius XII wrote this encyclical in honor of the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s appearance to 

St. Bernadette in Lourdes. What conditions does he set, according to the expectations of the Virgin 

herself, for the yielding of the fruits of salvation? 

2 How would you define materialism according to the pope’s description in this encyclical? 

3 What prayer of intercession does the pope give to Mary, especially in her apparition at Lourdes? 


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