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Tuesday July 31st, 2012

Calling a birth a miracle seems to me like it's cheapening it -- by attributing all the work to the divine, it dismisses nine months of effort on the part of the mother, not to mention however long was spent in labor. It seems foolish to give another credit for your hard work.

Molly S, Nova Scotia

St. Thomas Aquinas divided miracles into three types in his Summa contra Gentiles: "The highest degree in miracles comprises those works wherein something is done by God, that nature can never do: for instance, that two bodies occupy the same place, that the sun recede or stand still...." "The second degree in miracles belongs to those whereby God does something that nature can do, but not in the same order: thus it is a work of nature that an animal live, see and walk: but that an animal live after being dead, see after being blind, walk after being lame..." "The third degree of miracles is when God does what is wont to be done by the operation of nature, but without the operation of the natural principles: for instance when by the power of God a man is cured of a fever that nature is able to cure...." I doubt St. Thomas Aquinas would call an ordinary piglet birth a "miracle."

Paul S. Oro Valley, Arizona

It's a miracle Aaron survived childhood, if Lynn's comments about the farm are true.

Cyn, TN