MIRACLES

Several summers ago, I hurt my right shoulder so badly I could not lift my arm. I think I did it while mowing our fields in New Hampshire, but I am not sure. What I was sure about was the doctor’s diagnosis. I had hurt my rotator cuff and would not be able to use my right arm for up to six months. Since I had plans to go fly-fishing with my son in less than a week, the answer was obvious: I needed a miracle!

This revelation may not have done much good for my shoulder, but it did help in another arena. It gave me an idea for this reflection, particularly when I discovered that, seemingly by coincidence, the Gospel for the following Sunday dealt with one of Jesus’ miracles: feeding five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish.

Have you ever been a part of or witnessed a miracle? Most of us answer this question with something like, “Of course not.”

Why do we answer this way? The scriptures are filled with miracles. Yet, almost none of us believe we have ever been part of one. Is it because miracles stopped happening a long time ago? Or, as some of us may have wondered, did they ever happen at all?

One definition of a miracle is this: an unexpected and usually unearned experience, which, in satisfying some need, allows one to live more fully. In the Gospel healing miracles, the people being healed neither expected nor had done anything to earn the gift they received. Clearly, healing satisfied some basic need: the need to hear, to see, to be free from disease, or to resume living. And, once healed, the individuals involved were obviously able to live life more fully.

In the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the five thousand who came to listen to Jesus weren’t expecting a free lunch and hadn’t done anything to earn it; they hadn’t even thought to bring anything along themselves. The need satisfied was their hunger, and those who witnessed the miracle were blessed with the recognition that they were part of something special.

Miracles, once defined, don’t seem that mysterious.

The scriptures are clear on what conditions need to be present for a miracle to occur. First, God must be willing to do something. God is the source of all miracles. In the story of the loaves and the fishes, Jesus recognizes a problem (hungry people) and does something about it (feeds them). The twelve baskets of leftover fragments remind us of how abundant God’s goodness is.

Isn’t this still true? God didn’t decide to stop loving humanity two thousand years ago, did he? No, the first condition for miracles still seems to be in place.

The only other condition for a miracle to occur is for the people involved to show up. All those healed by Jesus, or their representatives, came into his presence. They knew why they were there. The five thousand all came to hear Jesus. They showed up. For miracles to occur we need to show up. God seems to be very particular on this point. I think it has something to do with free will. And this may be where the problem lies.

My image of the miracle of the loaves and fishes may be different from yours. I think most of the people there reacted differently from what is implied by the Gospel author. While some small number recognized what really happened, I think the reason Jesus was able to leave so easily was that most of those present failed to see anything special in the events of the day. In a sense, they failed to show up.

Some missed the miracle because they simply refused to believe miracles were possible. Most of the time, you can’t see what you will not believe. Sitting on the grassy slope, they probably reacted something like this: “You say he made all these appear? You gotta be kidding! That’s just not possible. No one’s going to make a fool outta me. By the way, pass me another loaf.”

Then there were the people in attendance who took miracles for granted: “George, are we having loaves and fishes again? That’s the third time this week!”

Finally, there were those who were so absorbed in themselves they weren’t going to notice anything around them. You know the kind I mean. “I came all this way just to hear this guy. You’d think whoever’s providing the food would be a little more considerate and at least heat the fish!”

While these examples may seem humorous, can’t we see a little of ourselves in them? Whether we just won’t believe in the possibility of miracles, take them for granted, or are too absorbed in our own problems to bother noticing, miracles aren’t real because we won’t let them be. We have come up with a name so we don’t even have to use the word. We call them coincidences.

It is a real tragedy when we fail to recognize the miracles occurring in our lives. If I truly believe God has acted in my life to satisfy some need of mine, God becomes real. No longer is he something I experience second hand, through what I read or through what others tell me. I know, in the core of my being, that I am special because God cares enough to help me live life more fully. I know God is blessing me, helping me experience happiness. I no longer just say  “God bless you.” I can say, “God blesses me.” For all this to be true, all I have to do is look!

I would like to tell you about two miracles in my life. Not because they are particularly unique, but in the hope they will help you identify the miracles in your own lives. The key is to look for times when you have felt blessed (living life more fully) and then see if there was some coincidence (an unexpected and often unearned occurrence) involved. For, as a friend of mine says, “There is no such thing as a coincidence.”

Sometimes, miracles affect a readily identified need. Over ten years ago I learned that I had prostate cancer. An apparently successful operation was followed by a reemergence of the disease. I then tried radiation, with the same result. The next procedure recommended by my doctor was not particularly attractive; it would only slow the spread of cancer with no possibility of a cure. In addition, there was the strong possibility I would experience negative side effects.

At this point, my brother started asking me to meet with someone he thought might be able to help. I was so enmeshed in self-pity I didn’t want to be bothered. I think the only reason I finally agreed was to stop his badgering. It has since occurred to me that Jesus may have blinded Paul because it was the only way he could get his attention.

By coincidence, when I did meet my brother’s friend, he gave me a book.  By coincidence, the book contained a chapter on a then largely unknown herbal remedy, which, because I felt I had nothing to lose, I decided to start taking. Within sixty days, my cancer was gone. Three years later, it shows no sign of reemergence. I feel that I have a new lease on life. I feel blessed.

Sometimes, miracles address a need we aren’t even aware of. Shortly after college, a co-worker fixed me up with a friend named Frannie Vincent. Frannie was on the verge of getting engaged, but her boyfriend, a naval officer, had just left for a six-month cruise. Since I knew I could not afford a serious relationship, meeting Frannie seemed like a wonderful coincidence...someone I could enjoy without any danger of entanglement.

Frannie and I have now been married for the past forty years. She is my best friend. She has given depth and color and substance to my life. I am truly blessed.

Miracles happen.

God’s way

of helping us

become more than we were.

Look for the miracles in your life.

Believe and you will see

God’s goodness brought to fulfillment.