The Miraculous Part 7
July 12, 2025
The Miraculous Part 7
We have all heard the phrase “It would take a miracle.” Some examples of its usage are: “It would take a miracle for our team to win,” “It would take a miracle for him to pull out of this illness,” and “It would take a miracle for her to ever fall in love again.”
That phrase does several things. First, it emphasizes the hopelessness of a particular situation and highlights the rarity and enormity of miracles. Hopelessness is tantamount to the impossible. And when the solution to our dilemma seems impossible, we desperately seek an answer. Miracles may be rare, but we naturally turn to the miraculous when hopeless. We say such things to ourselves as, “Where there’s life, there is hope,” and “It’s darkest before dawn,” as well as “It’s not over until it’s over.” Sometimes we say, “I am hoping against hope.”
Saint Jude is the patron saint of Hope in the face of Impossible Causes and one of the original twelve Apostles of Jesus. He preached the Gospel passionately, often in the most challenging circumstances. Scholars say he made profound differences in people's lives by offering them the Word of God. St. Jude Thaddeus was martyred in 65 AD.
Danny Thomas was a famous actor and comedian of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. He attributes his fame to his prayer to St. Jude. He vowed to St. Jude that if he could be a successful actor and comedian and take good care of his family, he would build a shrine to St. Jude. After his prayer, Danny rose to heights that surprised everyone, including him. I wonder if Danny felt himself to be a hopeless cause.
The shrine Danny built was a children’s hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, which later became a children’s hospital for cancer treatment. At the time Danny Thomas began his efforts to raise money for the hospital, the survival rate of children who had cancer was only 20%. Now, thanks mainly to the research at St. Jude’s Hospital, the survival rate is up to 80% and mounting.
Many things can be said about Danny Thomas and his appeal to St. Jude. One could say that you can’t make a quid pro quo with a saint. One could say you do not bribe saints or flatter them into giving you what you want. However, if there is any truth to the saying, “The proof is in the pudding,” we must acknowledge that Danny’s appeal to the divine, whether a ‘bribe’ or not, was the beginning of one of the greatest miracles in this world.
Spiritual practice: Do you have a hopeless cause? Try what Danny Thomas did.
Self-inquiry: Why might you not ever pray to a saint?
Dear God,
For St. Jude, I give you thanks, and I am so thankful for the hope he brings to those of us who know hopelessness. Amen
