Miracles and Materialism

“There is only one intelligent reason why a man does not believe in miracles and that is that he does believe in materialism.” 

—“Miracles and Death,” St. Francis of Assisi, by G.K. Chesterton

© 2025 by Michael F. Lee
Originally published by Decided Excellence Catholic Media, October 2025

Have you, or anyone you know or have spoken with, ever said or wondered “why don’t we see miracles today?” Many seem to hold that miracles, if indeed they ever happened at all, simply do not happen anymore. 

This attitude may be due at least in part to the understandable debunking of myths and fairy tales undertaken by parents as their children age and develop. God forbid that a 9-year-old lets it slip that he or she believes in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy! 

If you couple this debunking with the oft-repeated adage, “God helps those who help themselves,” you have the vaccine needed to inoculate children against belief in the miraculous, whether intended or not. 

And what does the debunking offer in place of the forbidden beliefs? Sadly, what it often offers is a belief in materialism— after all, gold is reality! 

Mr. Chesterton, who happily retained his belief in dragons and in brave knights who slew them, would caution us against being too easily convinced of the materialist gospel. For he knew well that miracles happen every day, most notably on every Catholic altar, and that we only fail to see them because we’re focusing on accumulating perishable material things. 

 ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven” (Revelation 12:7-8, RSV2CE).

 

Other than the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph, the saint who is perhaps the most sought out and invoked in times of trouble is Saint Michael the Archangel. He is specifically mentioned five times in the Bible; three times in the book of the prophet Daniel, once in the Epistle of St. Jude (describing an event presented in Zechariah 3:1), and once in the Book of Revelation (12:7-8). 

In Daniel, St. Michael is described as a great and mighty prince, a reinforcement and a bulwark, and as a guardian of God’s people. In Jude (and in Zechariah), he is seen disputing directly with Satan over the body of Moses, and in the Book of Revelation, it is St. Michael who leads the angelic host in battle against Lucifer and the other fallen angels. 

Unlike most saints, Michael (whose name means “who is like unto God?”) has no human story—no date of birth, no parents and siblings, no biographical information that gives insight into his upbringing and character. Angels are completely different from—and in most ways superior to—human beings, and St. Michael is seen as their “commanding officer.” 

St. Michael does, however, have some history among us. He is recorded as having appeared to more than a few people, including St. Joan of Arc, St. Aubert, Diego Lázaro de San Francisco, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, and Bishop Alfonso Puccinelli. He is also mentioned as being the most frequently appearing saint during the Rite of Exorcism, often making his entrance precisely at the moment of deliverance, as he did in the actual exorcism upon which the movie, The Exorcist, is loosely based. 

While not an apparition, per se, St. Michael was seen in a vision by Pope Leo XIII in 1884. In the vision, the Holy Father saw a spiritual battle between St. Michael and Satan. Also in this vision, Satan was heard boasting to God that he could destroy the Catholic Church, and God was heard giving Satan permission to try…for a time. Pope Leo was so deeply struck by this vision and the clarity of it that he composed the prayer that most of us now know as the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel: 

“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan and all of the other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.” Amen†  

This prayer was recited at the end of every celebration of the Holy Mass from 1886 to 1964. This practice was generally terminated after the 2nd Vatican Council, but then restored in practice by Pope St. John Paul II. While it is not required to be said after Mass, many parishes (and even some entire dioceses by decrees of their bishops) have again made it a regular practice. 

Given that St. Michael has neither a birthdate nor a date of death, you might wonder how he ended up with September 29th as his feast day (now shared with Saints Gabriel and Raphael). 

St. Michael’s feast day was chosen because September 29th commemorates the dedication of the Church of Saint Michael, on the Via Salaria outside of Rome, in the 6th century. The Feast of St. Michael is also known historically as Michaelmas and celebrated in thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest. 

St. Michael is revered as the patron saint of police officers, soldiers, first responders, grocers, bakers, and— appropriately—fencers (sword-fighters). He is also invoked as the defender and protector of the Catholic Church. 

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us!

© 2025 by Michael F. Lee
Originally published by Decided Excellence Catholic Media, Sep. 2025

 

What is an Icon?

Referring of course to religious icons, rather than the same word as used in the world of information technology, icons are sacred images that are intended to assist us in veneration and worship. 

The word “icon” comes from the Greek eikōn, meaning simply, “image.” Interestingly, in the familiar story of St. Veronica wiping the face of Jesus (6th Station of the Cross) and discovering that the image of His face was left on her veil, we may note that her name, “Veronica,” literally means “true image.” 

In the Byzantine Catholic Church, as well as in the other Eastern Rites (and in the Orthodox Churches) icons play a prominent role. While we of the Latin Rite (“Roman Catholics”) are more accustomed to having statues in our churches, chapels, offices, and homes, our Eastern brethren give such places of honor to the holy icons. 

To the Byzantine Catholic, the holy icon is much more than simply a picture, a piece of art, or a “painting” (please don’t call them that). Holy icons aren’t even produced in the same way as our western sacred art (paintings and statues). 

The process of producing an icon involves prayer, meditation, fasting, and even, perhaps, penance, in order that the iconographer might faithfully respond to the Holy Spirit. The actual process that we, in the west, might refer to as “drawing” or “painting,” the iconographer refers to as “writing.” He or she writes an icon. 

It is somewhat common to hear iconographers say that they really don’t know if the icon they’re writing is finished yet. They relate to it more as if it is a living thing. They wait and pray, and seek God’s voice as to when their work has been completed. 

The typical way of venerating or reverencing an icon is to make a profound bow before it, make the Sign of the Cross, and—if permitted—kiss the icon on the hand or foot depicted. Some also kiss their fingertips and then gently touch that hand to the icon.

© 2025 by Michael F. Lee
Originally Published by Decided Excellence Catholic Media, Sep 2025.