Verifying Miracles 

Roman Catholic authorities embrace the idea of miracles from heaven with such confidence that they invite skeptics to challenge them. Before candidates qualify for sainthood, the miracles attributed to them must be proven. If someone is suddenly healed after praying to a would-be saint, the Vatican has doctors verify there’s no medical reason for it. (Mother Teresa’s Two Miracles).

The overwhelming majority of miracles recognised by the Catholic Church are medical in nature—miraculous healings. The Catholic Church embraces scepticism in assessing all miracles precisely for the reason that a true miracle will withstand such scrutiny. In the case of miraculous healings, Catholic authorities need to first determine whether or not there is a medical explanation for the phenomenon. In other words, miraculous recovery from a severe medical condition must be regarded as impossible from a scientific or medical standpoint. Statements by qualified medical practitioners and other professionals are therefore pivotal in ascertaining this. According to the Sisters of Compassion, “There have been cures during the last seventy years that those concerned attributed to Suzanne Aubert’s intercession with God. Whether these can be called miracles or not will be decided by the Vatican. Doctors checked existing medical records, to help the inquiry” (Sisters of Compassion: The Journey to Sainthood).

Documentation of prayers for specific miraculous healings are also required, as they make a concrete link between the desire for a miracle and the intercession of the Saint. The Sisters of Compassion have provided a formula for intercessory prayer in order to (1) formally call on Mother Aubert’s intercession, and (2) to document the intercession in the case of potential miracles. They have also given us a prayer for Aubert’s Beatification.