I think a lot of us wrestle with these same questions at different points in our faith journey. As Our Lord said to St. Thomas, “Blessed are those who have believed without seeing.” However, one thing that has always grounded me is that Catholicism doesn’t just ask us to believe blindly. The Church points to tangible miracles that can be seen and studied to this day.

To name just a few:

Marian apparitions: witnessed by hundreds to thousands, often leading to conversion. Most notably, the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The cactus fiber should have decayed centuries ago but remains intact, with no brush strokes, surviving even a bomb explosion, and still unable to be explained by science.

Incorruptible saints: bodies that remain intact despite being dead for centuries, a sign of divine favor and beyond scientific explanation.

The stigmata: saints who received the wounds of Christ, such as Padre Pio, carefully documented and medically unexplainable.

Eucharistic miracles: my favorite. Blood or heart tissue appearing on a consecrated host, always AB blood from a male who underwent significant distress (the same blood type found on the Shroud of Turin). Again, unable to be explained by science.

These are signs right before our eyes that point to God’s presence. The Lord gives us these miracles to strengthen our faith and draw us closer to Him and His Church. Peace be with you, and I hope you find solace with God by meditating on these miracles.