Rise Up and Walk: A Comparative Analysis of Acts 3:1-10 And Medical Miracles Verified for The Canonization of Saints
Date
2002-02
Authors
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
The effects of the influence of the Holy Spirit in the community of believers are
systematically presented in the Acts of the Apostles. The 'signs and wonders'
contained therein are all attributed to the power of the risen Lord, the lamb that was
'once slain, but now standing'. The salvific work of Christ continues to influence the
events of human beings in every age.
Miracles are very sensitive experiences to talk about. There are so many types and
often, the subjective opinions of people so differ, that one might be tempted to
conclude that there is nothing objective to be investigated about miracles. While
some people see miracles everywhere, others do not believe in the miraculous.
Biblical miracles are signs of the Kingdom of God. There are other signs like the
struggle for peace, righteousness, joy, and a very deep sense of hope in the future
restoration of the world, which stems from a belief that the Kingdom of God has
indeed come. Nevertheless, the early Christian community particularly preserved for
the future Church, accounts of the miraculous, both in the life of Christ and even
more dramatically, in the lives of the 'believers'. The significance of these miracles
includes a constant reminder that the fundamental teaching of Jesus (that the
kingdom of God has come) is true. In the first chapter, one of such signs recorded in the lives of the early Church is
studied exegetically. Acts 3:1-10 contains similarities with some of the (often
distorted) signs and miracles of our own time, and since an individual opinion may
be heavily subjective, the approach of this essay is to investigate how the ecclesial
community, guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, is able to scrutinize similar
miracles of a medical nature, and come to an absolute certainty (in faith) that these
contemporary signs are a continuation of the biblical ones.
In the second chapter, these divine signs are systematically evaluated to see how
they fit into the eschatological dimension of the faith-experience of the Church.
In the third chapter, an attempt is made to compare and contrast the findings in the
first and the second chapter.
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Keywords
Medical Miracles, Canonization Of Saints, Of Acts 3:1-10, Scrutinising miracles