I don't know how this article will be received, but I feel the need to write it anyway.

So in one of my classes we were discussing Caedmon's Hymn. The question came up as to whether it was a miracle that Caedmon not only suddenly learned to sing, but mastered the workings of Old English poetry. One person's answer began with a phrase like this: "Well they put a lot more stock in that kind of thing back then."

To be honest, this answer made me sad. Now to be clear, my reaction didn't have to do with their opinion on Caedmon's Hymn. My reaction has to do with a viewpoint that I've seen frequently since I've come to college, a viewpoint easily summed up by that comment.

Do we live in a world devoid of miracles now? Is this because we know such a great deal more about science than we used to know? Some people seem to think so. That's the viewpoint that the student's answer seems to express. It sounds as though miraculous events can simply be dismissed.

I do wonder why such a viewpoint arose, though. It's not as if there is no longer anything that science can't explain. Miracles didn't cease simply because we gained scientific knowledge.

I most often hear this viewpoint expressed by people who have a distaste for religion, especially Catholicism or Christianity in general. Although, there is the occasional Christian who says something similar. It's as though they try to dismiss all miracles by citing the scientific ignorance of, for example, the 8th century. In a way they're right. Compared to the scientific knowledge we currently possess, 8th century people were ignorant. Did they attribute more things to the miraculous than they should have? They may have. But it does it mean all miracles are false? Of course not.

The Catholic Church still supports the existence of miracles. In the process leading up to canonization, proof of miraculous events is required before the person can be canonized. We Catholics still believe very strongly in miracles. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was recently canonized. That means that the Church needed proof of miracles in order to proclaim her a saint. That means we've had undeniable miracles within our own lifetimes.

Isn't that a wonderful thing to think about? We live in an age of miracles. So don't let your faith be shaken by those who don't have it. Miracles still exist. They didn't just happen in the times recorded in the Bible. They still happen even today.

I think the problem is that so many of us have stopped looking for them. We don't see miracles because we've stopped seeing things with the faith of a child. Have you ever noticed how often children see practically all the world's contents as a miracle? I think it's because of their readiness to see beauty and miracles that most children have a joy that so many adults lack.

So next time you go out, look with the faith of a child and see what you see.