Miracles And Nature

Ἐπὶ γὰρ Θεοὺ οὐ δεῖ τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων προσέχειν, ἀλλὰ τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος πιστεύειν. Φύσεως γάρ ἐστι νόμος, ὅταν γυνὴ προσμιλήσασα γάμοις τέκῃ· ὅταν δὲ παρθένος ἀπειρόγαμος τεκοῦσα πάλιν παρθένος φανείη, ὑπερ φύσιν τὸ πρᾶγμα. Το οὖν κατὰ φύσιν ζητείσθω, τὸ δὲ ὑπὲρ φύσιν σιγῇ τιμάθω, οὐχ ὡς φευκτὸν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀπόῥῥητον, καὶ σιωπῇ τιμᾶσθαι ἄξιον. Ἀλλ' ἀπονείματέ μοι συγγνώμην, πατακαλῶ, ἐν προοιμίοις καταπαῦσαι τὸν λόγον βουλομένῳ. Δειλὸς γὰρ ὤν πρὸς τὴν τῶν κρειττόνων ἕρευναν, πῶς ἢ ποῦ τρέψω τῶν λόγων τὰ πηδάλια οὐχ ἔχω. Τί γὰρ εἴπω, ἢ τί λαλήσω; Τὴν τεκοῦσαν ὁρῶ, τὸν τεχθέντα βλέπω, τὸν δὲ τρόπον τῆς γεννήσεως οὐ συνορῶ· νικᾶται γὰρ φύσις, νικᾶται καὶ τάξεως ὅρος, ὅπου Θεὸς βούλεται. Οὐ γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν γέγονε τὸ πρᾶγμα· ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ φύσιν τὸ θαῦμα· ἤργησε γὰρ ἡ φύσις, καὶ ἐνήργησε τοῦ Δεσπότου τὸ βούλημα. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς τὸ γενέθλιον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, Λόγος. Source: Migne PG 56. 388

It is not necessary to look for God to work within nature, but to have faith in the power of the work. For it is a law of nature that when a woman in joined in matrimony she gives birth, but when a virgin unmarried gives birth and again appears a virgin, so nature is surpassed. Thus what is done according to nature one may seek but truly when nature is superseded then one should revere in silence, not as a thing to be shunned but as a thing ineffable, and so rightly with silence we venerate. Yet give to me this allowance, I ask, that in the beginning I bring an end to speech. For there is grave concern in the understanding of sublime things, and I do not know how to order my words. What then should I say, or what should I tell? I see a women who gave birth, a child born I discern, but the manner of the generation I do not grasp; for nature is conquered, conquered are the bounds of the ordinary, when God so wishes. For this did not happen according to nature but nature is surpassed by a miracle, for nature subsides when the will of God works. Saint John Chrysostom, from A Sermon on the Birthday of Our Saviour Jesus Christ