The Dangers of Signs and Wonders

Signs and wonders are glorious gifts of God. God in His infinite goodness offers us these glimpses into eternity periodically to help us strengthen and deepen our faith, or to help those who don't believe. Our Heavenly Father wills the salvation of all, but he does not force it. In His infinite goodness He respects our will and our decisions, and if we choose a life on this Earth and then into eternity without Him, he honors these choices. Our behaviors and our choices matter.

There is such a fine line though with all God's gifts, a line that can be crossed over with disordered use. This happens with all of God's gifts, and it seems the more spiritually ignited the gift, the more perilous it's misuse can become for us.

So, what is at the root of all the destructiveness being caused from the good gifts God gives us. Well, that's easy. Sin. Temptation. Satan. Satan is all up in our business. He loves to mimic God. He has nothing original too offer. So, he uses these gifts for the opposite purposes they were intended, in an attempt to lead us toward his end game - our eternal damnation. For devout souls, he is happy to lead us in small ways away from God. If he can't get us all the way to Hell, he will stunt our growth toward unity with God and prevent us from obtaining the perfection God wants for us. His mission is to get us to focus on anything, and I mean anything, but God.

So, this is where the danger of signs and wonders comes in. Signs and wonders can also be misused, by people and by Satan. Satan will even sacrifice some ground by allowing good to happen for some, if in the end it causes harm to more. Again, he loves to mimic God and has done this on many occasions. He does not appear as a monster, he appears as an angel of light. He presents things in ways that appeal to our desires, even our desire for holiness. He can then, in his underhandedness, lead us into spiritual pride and self righteousness, and this begins to lead us away from holiness. It is so subtle, and devious, and we don't even know it's occurring. . If Satan can use signs and wonders, and let's be honest, they can be pretty difficult to resist, to move people away from holiness, he can then begin to work on them, and lead them away from the guidance and authority of the Church, and with that, he has won. He has accomplished his goal. It might not lead to damnation, but it does stunt our growth to union with God, because to achieve union with God, we must love him for who he is, not for what he gives us, and we must detach ourselves from everything but Him. We must also be obedient to His Church, because the Church is the Body of Jesus himself. We must not put ourselves and our desires above what the church teaches and authorizes. We must know him and love him, not feel him and love him. Be still and KNOW!!!!! Relying on signs and wonders prevents this, because it elicits that emotional high and response we want and can become addicted to, and that makes Satan rejoice, because we are focusing on what we feel, and what feels good, instead of what we know, even in the darkness.

This is why the church is so careful and discerning when it comes to these signs and wonders. It is why we must always be discerning as well. St. John of the Cross teaches us to disregard all signs and wonders, because we do not know where they come from. They can come from our own imagination, from God, or from Satan himself. We certainly do not want to follow signs and wonders from Satan. Which is why the Church makes such a big deal of approving these signs and wonders as worthy of belief. This goes for people as well. There are many false prophets among us, it has always been so. Christ warns us in Scripture about this and it is why he gave the Church the authority and responsibility to determine what is worthy or belief and what is not. It is for our own protection and well being. St. John goes so far as to teach us that the more obvious the sign or wonder, the more likely it is Satan and not God. He also states God will shower us with even more Graces if we ignore signs and wonders. This is pleasing to God. Because it is an act of denial and sacrifice. It strengthens our resolve and ultimately our faith. God blesses those who don't see yet still believe.

Remember, Satan appeared to St. Padre Pio as Our Blessed Virgin Mary. The saint was astute and blessed enough to recognize the deception. Most of us our not. So, the next time you see a story about some sign or wonder, give it some thought and discernment. Be careful. Don't jump in head first. Wait for the Church to give us the okay. Receive the blessings St John tells us of, and grow in knowing our Lord, rather than the more trivial pursuit of the feelings these events or occurrences elicit.

We all want some reassurance, and we can get it, but through prayer, and reflecting on the truly miraculous messages that have been authenticated by the Church, not by chasing anything and anyone claiming and clamoring alleged ones. In matters of faith, seeing is not necessarily worthy of believing.