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 and blushed;  He  trod  upon  the  waves  and  stilled  the winds and  seas. Of animate  objects,  the  fig-tree withered at  His  touch  and  the  fishes  filled  the  net; He cured  the  humanly  incurable  ills  of  flesh;  He raised  the  dead  to  life;  He  drove  the  demons  from their writhing  victims  and  angels  came  and  ministered to  Him. Were Christ  a  mere  impostor  and God permitted  Him  to  do  the  prodigies  He  did,  the imposition and  deception  would  be  attributable primarily to  God,  which  is  absurd  and  blasphemous. True, many  unworthy  men  have  had  the  power  of miracles,  but  the  reason  it  was  given  them  was  that they exercised  it  not  to  glorify  themselves,  which would be  to  deceive,  but  for  the  glory  of  God. These are  they  who,  as  the  Gospel  says,  will  at  the Last Judgment  try  to  justify  themselves,  saying: " Lord,  Lord,  did  we  not  do  miracles  in  Thy  name?  " and whom  He  shall  answer  thus:  "Amen,  I  never knew  you:  depart  from  Me,  ye  workers  of  iniquity." Their power  proved  God's  holiness,  not  theirs. But miracles permitted  or  wrought  by  God  to  prove directly man's  sanctity  or  God's  divinity  are  necessarily infallible  arguments. With reason,  then,  could Christ turn  to  the  Jews  and  say:  "If  you  believe not  in  My  divinity  on  the  testimony  of  My  words, believe  at  least  My  works."

Brethren, here,  naturally,  recur  to  our  minds  those other words  of  Our  Lord:  "Blessed  are  they  who have  not  seen  and  have  believed." Blessed John  the Baptist is,  after  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself,  the  most illustrious example  of  perfect  faith  in  Christ,  and  as