Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

It's a beautiful way to look at life but it does run the risk of undermining actual miracles. So here’s a question for you: Do you believe that miracles happen? If not, are you open to being convinced that miracles happen?

There's plenty of evidence throughout history of astounding miracles that have taken place around the world. Miracles that have been investigated by secular scientists, journalists and historians. Miracles that even from an objective point of view outside of faith defy our attempts at a full explanation. Are you open to the amazing possibility of miracles?

Saint Januarius is connected with one of the most famous miracles in history, a miracle that still happens today. Januarius was the bishop of Naples who was martyred by the Romans around 305 A.D. Legend says that his faith was so strong that his body remained unscathed by flames and wild beasts refused to harm him. He was eventually beheaded for his Christian beliefs, but that was not the end of the story.

Today, in Naples, there is a vial of Januarius’ dried blood which is well over a thousand years old. Multiple times a year, on certain feasts, it will return to a liquid state. Scientists have tried and failed to prove this phenomenon to be anything but what it is: a miracle.

Through the history of our great faith thousands of miracles have been recorded and observed. Why is this so important? It’s important because it demonstrates that we don't understand everything. It reminds us that there are mysteries in life that we cannot completely grasp, but we can deeply explore. 

But perhaps more crucially, it is important because when we believe in miracles we open our own lives to miracles. And that is an essential stance in the life of a Christian.



Feast Day: September 19

Patron Saint of: Blood banks and Volcanic Eruptions

Symbols: Vials of Blood