Like everyone, I was thrilled when Jake Finkbonner recovered from the necrotizing fasciitis he had developed from an infected cut, a disease, which carries a mortality rate of 20-30 percent. As a parent, I could only imagine his parents' anguish. Yet, the declaration of Jake's recovery as a "miracle," leading to the canonization of Kateri, deserves commentary. From my secular perspective, the "miracle" lies in the fact that Jake was able to receive first-rate treatment in a state-of-the-art hospital, despite funding cutbacks; that universities and labs continue to support medical research at a time when public appreciation for science and knowledge is at a low; and that science and technology, while complicating our lives, have also given rise to an increased life span and better healthcare. In my view, it is not only irresponsible to suggest that modern day "miracles" account for empirical phenomena, it is a dangerous form of escapism that denies the fragile reality of our world. Our very lives may depend upon rational discourse, scientific research and civil cooperation in order to solve the many problems facing us today, including hunger, war, genocide and environmental impacts on the natural world. By denying the material world and scientific reason, we don't stand to gain a foothold in "heaven," we threaten to leave our children without a future to call their own.

Dawn Dietrich

Bellingham