“The Catholic X-Files”
Each story inThe Modern Miracles Series will include examinations of documented mystical events and phenomena, all recorded and studied by Catholic historians and scholars. Great Purpose included Marian apparitions, Seeing the Crooked Lines includes a weeping statue, and the third volume, tentatively titled The Fire We Carry, will include several phenomena such as unexplained healing and visible stigmata. I’ve also started playing with an idea for a fourth volume that focuses on bilocation, which has some really interesting plot implications. Beyond that, enormous potential for other related stories remains.
My intention is to use a fairly consistent roster of recurring characters (mostly people from The Group as defined in Great Purpose, plus a few others), and base their stories around their encounters with each of these phenomena. I’ve also developed a larger arc, operating behind the scenes, that will connect the books all together, but I shall not reveal those details here!
As I was researching various potential mystical phenomena recognized by the Church, I found myself astounded at the vast array of different types of fascinating and admittedly bizarre spiritual events connected to holy sites, saints and relics. Reading through these reminded me of the weekly exploits of Mulder and Scully in the X-Files television show, but with a uniquely religious flavor. God certainly does work in mysterious ways, indeed!
I made a list of the various types of mystical events I’ve encountered so far in my studies. Which do you think might make an interesting story for The Modern Miracles Series? Let me know in a comment.
Marian & Apparition-Related
Silent Marian apparition (in the tradition of Knock) — presence without words
Series of private locutions to an ordinary person who resists public attention
Apparition to a non-believer or hostile witness
Children’s apparition that authorities struggle to evaluate
Apparition tied to a specific place that later becomes contested ground (featured in Great Purpose)
Eucharistic Phenomena
Eucharistic miracle (bleeding Host, transformation visible to some but not others)
Extended Eucharistic fast or supernatural sustenance
Host that remains intact in fire or other destructive conditions
Multiple independent witnesses reporting the same Eucharistic sign
Healing & Physical Miracles
Unexplained instantaneous healing under investigation by both Church and medicine
Healing that occurs through contact with a holy person or object
Progressive healing that tracks with conversion or repentance
Healing of a public figure that creates media and political pressure
Mystical Phenomena in Persons
Stigmata (visible or invisible) in a modern, reluctant recipient
Odor of sanctity accompanying a living or recently deceased person
Incorrupt body discovered in unexpected circumstances
Bilocation or other rare charisms that disrupt ordinary life
Supernatural knowledge (reading hearts, knowing distant events)
Object- and Place-Centered Mysteries
Weeping or bleeding icon/statue (featured in Seeing the Crooked Lines)
Miraculous image (new or newly active) that resists scientific explanation
Holy well, spring, or site that begins producing unusual effects
Relic that exhibits unexplained properties
Church or chapel that becomes a site of repeated phenomena (as seen in Great Purpose)
Less Common / More Psychologically Complex
Shared vision experienced simultaneously by unrelated people
Time-related anomaly (lost time, altered perception) connected to prayer
Demonic disturbance that is eventually distinguished from mental illness or fraud
Prophetic warning tied to a specific coming event
Conversion cascade triggered by a single public sign
Modern / Contemporary Angles
Phenomenon that appears first through technology (security cameras, phones) and forces questions about evidence
Miracle claimed in a scientific or academic setting
Competing claims of miracles that divide a community or diocese
Miracle that seems to favor one faction in a Church conflict
Quiet, almost private miracle whose significance only becomes clear years later
