Dawn Eden today features a story about a possible miraculous event in New Jersey:
Dozens of believers in New Jersey are holding a vigil this morning near a statue that they say - came to life.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue is the centerpiece of a nativity scene outside the Jackson Street public housing complex in Hoboken.
Some witnesses say they saw the statue open its right eye, and turn its head toward the crowd.
Many call the event a miracle that could help rescue the neighborhood from problems like drugs and violence.
This brings up an important topic often discussed among Catholics and non-Catholics alike: how are we to determine what miracles or miraculous events we should believe in or not? It is often a tough task to discern whether or not certain things are 'miraculous' or not. Sometimes it's easy, as in the case of the 'Jesus in my toast' case (obviously fake) or when you see the sun dance in the sky (obviously real).
The Church does say some interesting things about this in it's Catechism:
para. 2003: Grace is first and foremost the gift of the Spirit who justifies and sanctifies us. But grace also includes the gifts that the Spirit grants us to associate us with his work, to enable us to collaborate in the salvation of others and in the growth of the Body of Christ, the Church. There are sacramental graces, gifts proper to the different sacraments. There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning "favor," "gratuitous gift," "benefit." Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues - charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church.
156 What moves us to believe is not the fact that revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in the light of our natural reason: we believe "because of the authority of God himself who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived". So "that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit." Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church's growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability "are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all"; they are "motives of credibility" (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is "by no means a blind impulse of the mind".
So, a miracle must be oriented toward sanctifying grace, intended for the common good of the Church and at the service of charity which builds up the Church. For a miracle to be approved, the Church goes through many years of investigation and research. Even if a miracle is then approved, a member of the Catholic Church is not required to believe in the miracle. (This web page has a good explanation of the Church's attitude).