Medical Malpractice

I'm researching miracles. please help?

Below is an example that I found that touches my heart: When Jory Aebly was shot in the head, execution-style during a mugging five weeks ago in Cleveland, Ohio, that should have been the end of it. Doctors at the Metro Health Medical Center told his family it was a "non-survivable" injury, according to the hospital's Web site. One man accredits former Pope John Paul II with performing a miracle.But Tuesday, a very-much-alive Aebly was wheeled to a press conference before he went home in what some believe is a true "miracle," possibly good enough to help earn deceased Pope John Paul II sainthood. "It's one in a million," Dr. Robert Geertman, a neurosurgeon involved in Aebly's treatment, said in a press conference just days after the shooting. "My jaw was on the floor after a day or two of seeing he is hanging on. ... I'd say it's pretty miraculous." The connection between the 26-year-old's incredible recovery and the late pope came in the form of hospital chaplain, Father Art Snedeker, and a single blessed rosary Snedeker gave Aebly soon after the shooting. "[Pope John Paul II] promised me that he would always pray for the patients at Metro and he blessed a dozen rosaries with special patients here," Snedeker said in the press conference. "The first night that Jory arrived and I performed the sacrament of the sick, I also asked Pope John Paul to pray for Jory and to protect him." Snedeker gave Aebly the last of the rosaries that were blessed by the pope. From then on, Aebly repeatedly amazed doctors with consistent improvement culminating in his release Tuesday, just two days before the fourth anniversary of John Paul's death. "I stand before you today and can say, to my mind, Jory is a miracle," Snedeker said at the press conference. At the press conference, Aebly's family also showed no shortage of faith concerning Aebly's recovery. Jory Aebly was shot in the head five weeks ago outside a downtown Cleveland restaurant and was released from Metro Health Medical Center Tuesday. "I believe in the power of prayer and I firmly believe that your prayers are the reason why I can introduce you to my brave and determined son," Aebly's mother, Deb Wolfram said. Aebly credited his recovery to "the many prayers from family, friends and co-workers and even people [he] hasn't met." The Vatican is especially interested in the prayers from one of the people Aebly never met, but one Snedeker is certain prayed for him: Pope John Paul II. In order to become a saint, candidates needs two official miracles attributed to them. The Vatican is currently investigating hundreds of cases of reported miracles associated with John Paul, but they haven't certified one yet. "The first stage is beatification where the person is proclaimed blessed on the basis of living a life of heroic virture and also performing one miracle," professor Mathew Schmalz of College of the Holy Cross said. "The second and final stage is when the person becomes a saint and thus is canonized. That happens when a second miracle is documented." Shortly after he died four years ago today, Pope John Paul II was put on the fast track for sainthood when Pope Benedict personally waived the five-year waiting period usually required for consideration. Still, a Vatican official said the process could take some time and there is no precise schedule. The Vatican has repeatedly denied rumors that Pope John Paul will be declared a saint in June of this year, which would coincide with the 30th anniversary of his election as pope. "We cannot predict a precise schedule," Monsignor Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Caucus of Saints told Italian news service ANSA. "All stages, including the examination of the miracle, have to be conducted in a particularly thorough way." If Aebly's recovery is validated as a miracle, it would be enough for Pope John Paul's beatification, leaving just one more before sainthood would be possible. Here are my questions: a. Describe the miracle; What happened, when, where, how provide details. b. What are miracles? Explain how different people are impacted by the miracle or miracles. Is there a healing spiritually? c. What are your thoughts on the following: Should miracles be an important part or necessary aspect to have or spread faith today?

Public Comments

1. it would be a miracle to find a miracle and i live in cleveland ohio and dont know what your talking about
2. 1. I'm not doing your homework. 2. Citations needed.
3. I truly believe in this miracle http://www.acfp2000.com/Miracles/eucharistic.html
4. This is the problem with confirmation bias isn't it? Person survives = miracle. Person dies = oh well. People die from gun shots all the time. Occasionally someone survives. There's no god involved. Research something worthwhile.
5. miracles are the anthropromorhization of the bell shaped curve. Shoot a million guys in the head--bell shaped curve tells us some will die instantly--some will be severely brain damaged--some will be mildly brain damaged and those lucky few on the far right hand side of the curve walk away with no problems. People then say--odin cured the guy, or the pope, or zeus etc
6. I have seen and know of lots of miracles and I know they happen everyday, but my faith was established beforehand. I trusted Christ without a miracle being required, unless you call my salvation experience itself a miracle. I believe in them but I would still believe without them.
7. I don't know all the details, but I have a brother that is still half brain dead to this day and he walks around like a normal person, has a job, a wife, and 4 kids. He mysteriously got better when he was an infant after my parents took him to see some guy that was a Catholic priest or something. He was known for being able to do this, but I can't remember his name right now. I'd have to ask my mom. But they heard he was going to be somewhere, so they went there out of desperation. They were told that my brother would never walk and that he was pretty much mentally retarded, but he's not anymore. The problem with these types of stories is that you can tell them all you want, but people who don't want to believe will either write you off or they will try to make up some other reason for the healing. They'll say 'Oh, it was just some unknown medical reason, and it just so happened to occur right after that guy laid his hands on your brother; it was a coincidence.'- Sure, I'm a skeptic too, but some people are skeptic to the point of absurdity.