Parish of the Holy Savior

Miracles abound. Throughout the Gospels Jesus performed many amazing miracles: turning water into wine, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, calming storms, and even walking on water. If you could perform any one of Jesus’ miracles, which would you choose? Why? Jesus’ miracles were often extraordinary but at the same time usually quite ordinary. They were simple and practical. They didn’t involve complex rituals or incantations. They were direct and the ease in which he performed them helped strengthened the witness of his authority and power. Yet, Jesus’ miracles were not just about doing something amazing they also were a real service to people. Making the lame walk, restoring sight to the blind, even forgiving people’s sins were focused on the everyday life of the people Jesus encountered. He met them where they were at. He addressed their concrete needs. I think one of the challenges when reflecting on Jesus’ miracles is to resist the urge to push them to the extreme ends of the spectrum, to either view them in the abstract, from a far off distance and historical perspective, to see them as having nothing to do with the present and the personal people and circumstances of our life today, or on the other end, to turn them into some form of superstition, a form of testing God by demanding He perform signs and miracles for us in the way we desire Him to. The reality is somewhere in the middle. If we can appreciate that, it can help us to perhaps recognize the miracles that occur in our lives on a regular basis, the perhaps not so manifestly spectacular, although nonetheless remarkable ways God enters into our lives. The greatest miracle of all is Jesus himself. The greatest miracle is that God would come to us, enter into our lives, share his life with us. Last weekend, we were blessed to have Fr. Rice join us for a charismatic healing service. As he prayed over us, I don’t know if anyone was healed in the way they would have expected, or in ways that anyone would have immediately noticed. But people did speak of experiencing something of Jesus and the presence of His Spirit, and they spoke of the warmth, peace, and serenity that comes from the encounter with God in the midst of whatever pain, need, or trial they were undergoing. And for many, it was a powerful everyday miracle. When we come to appreciate that ordinariness and the deeply personal nature of Jesus’ miracles, it can empower us to likewise, seek to encounter those who are suffering and to love them as Jesus has loved us. Ordinary people like you and me can be miracles for others. Matthew Kelly remarks, “If we would just learn to recognize people’s needs and pain, there are so many prayers that God wants us use us to answer. Too many go unanswered because ordinary people like you and me don’t allow the holy Spirit to guide us.”