Science and the Miraculous: How the Church Investigates the Supernatural

by Michael O'Neill

Some might say that miracles are a thing of the past, relegated to a more credulous and superstitious age before humanity fully embraced the certainty and exactitude of scientific study. According to author Michael O’Neill, the “Miracle Hunter”, true miracles are by definition rare, but still occur today. And in this present age of skepticism, where the worship of science and reason have pervaded the culture, the existence of the supernatural is to be appreciated now more than ever before.

Though it may come as a surprise to some, the Catholic Church turns to science to assist in the investigation and validation of claims of supernatural phenomena and miracles that appear to violate the laws of nature and our common human experience.

Science and the Miraculous takes readers through the Church’s rigorous investigation of miraculous occurrences,
healing miracles from life-threatening conditions;statues that exude human tears;Eucharistic hosts visually manifesting true flesh and true blood;visionaries who see the Virgin Mary in an ecstatic state;saints whose bodies lay in a state of perfect preservation for centuries;living people whose bodies are marked by the wounds of Christ’s crucifixion;and more . . .
The Catholic Church employs a combination of strict, centuries-old criteria for evaluating proposed cases of miracles with the most modern methods of medical examination to arrive at explanations for the purportedly inexplicable. If natural causes can be attributed or if frauds and hoaxes can be exposed, the Church will uncover the truth.

But if science can show that miracles can and do happen, what will you believe?

While belief in the supernatural ultimately requires faith, discover in this thorough investigation how science is a gift from God to aid our faith, and to educate our minds about the truths our heart already knows.

Genres: Nonfiction

138 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Kate Hendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brief book provides an excellent overview of the Catholic approach on miracles. It begins with a great explanation of how science and faith are not contradictory and describes the general beliefs on miracles. The book then details different miracle types and provides engaging examples.

O'Neill explains the "why" behind different stances well. I admire his level-headed descriptions, acknowledging limitations and challenges while also celebrating the remarkable.

If you've read articles written by O'Neill in the past, there is some content that will seem very familiar. However, the combination of the new content and the overall clean, logical presentation of the content as a whole make this book well worth the read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fascinating explanation of how the Roman Catholic church investigates miracles covers all currently known categories of miracles and includes examples for each type. It also does a great job of dispelling the myth that the Church is anti science.

The only reasons I gave it four stars instead of five are editorial. The past tense of 'lead' (long e sound) is not 'lead' (short e sound and an element); it's 'led'. Obviously the author relied on a spellchecker and not an editor. O'Neill also doesn't seem to recognize that 'phenomenon' and 'phenomena' are not interchangeable. 'Phenomenon' is singular and 'phenomena' is plural.

[Doug Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done! O'Neill presents in a concise way the aurguments and the methods for evaluating the miraculous. He preseents information and doesn't try t draw conclusions other than to reinforce the beauty of the Church and the important role that the Miraculous has in Christianity.