The work of Miracles

Feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim- Seventeenth Ordinary Sunday Year B

Simple mathematic calculation would tell you feeding five thousand in today's Gospel would not be sufficient on a meagre meal of five barley loaves and two fish. It is no wonder that the Apostle Philip exclaimed, “five barley loaves and two fish, but what is that between so many?” The simplistic solution of Jesus to feed the multitude of five thousand with only a meagre ration must have been perplexing. And so it was quite natural for the disciples to express their perplexity at the logistics of Jesus’ food division. No way will this plan work.

Perhaps, we who often style ourselves as modern sophisticated folks will be quick to deny that we actually believe in nonsense like miracles. We often failed to recognise the Kingdom of a God cannot reduce to a formula of figures. A whole movement arose among Biblical scholars, about a century ago, to explain away the miracles of the Bible. In this case, they decided, Jesus didn’t really feed the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes. That couldn’t have actually happened.  Thus, a common approach for preachers would be to say that what probably happened was that the disciples took those bits of food out into the crowd, and the crowd was so inspired by Jesus’ words and the action of the disciples that they began to take out the food that any sensible person would have brought with them when you go into the desert, and they began to divide it up amongst themselves. And so, after everyone shared their food with each other, there was more than enough for everybody. That’s much more plausible than this pleasant fairy tale about a miraculous multiplication. 

If this indeed is the proper interpretation of the above story, then the virtue that should be emulated is that of generous giving and sharing. There is nothing wrong about generosity. In fact, generosity is a much needed virtue. However, this point misses the mark by a long shot. Notice that Jesus doesn’t argue with the disciples about the scarcity of food nor does he reprimand them for their selfishness. Facts are facts. Five loaves and two fish are visibly limited resources when considering the needs of five thousand. And in a way the disciples were right. The way the real world works is much more about division and subtraction rather than multiplication. The entire field of Economics exists to address that problem: how best to divide up, allocate, and use those limited resources, and it permeates our lives in countless ways. But, here the problem isn’t about economics, nor is it about our lack of generosity, nor even the little supply of resources. The real problem is faith, or rather their little faith in what Jesus can do.

In our modern, sophisticated, and scientifically rooted world, claims of miracles are often distrusted and treated as either ravings of the mad or the primitively superstitious or just another phenomenon that has temporarily not received a logical and scientific explanation yet.  The word "miracle" comes from the Latin word for wonder and, literally means "a sight to behold." Thus its usage in common speech often signifies the wondrous, the improbable, or the newly discovered. Sometimes people tend to refer to natural events such as the sunrise, seasons, birth, and coincidence as “miracles.” Likewise, we also speak of the miracle of modern medicine, science, or technology. Many of these items are in some way wondrous. But to apply the term "miracle" to any of these, however, is to omit the most distinctive feature of a miracle: God's direct intervention in the world. God has not abandoned us!

More accurately and traditionally understood, a miracle is a supernatural or a preternatural sign or wonder, brought about by God, signifying His glory and the salvation of mankind. It is a call to faith. As a sign, a miracle is perceived by the senses and makes present the supernatural order, God's governance of nature, and His loving plan of salvation. A miracle of grace, such as a sudden conversion of a notoriously evil man, would be a supernatural miracle because, even though the act of conversion is invisible, it manifested by visible acts. All other miracles are divine interferences with the physical laws of nature. They are preternatural, which means beyond nature, and visible. Matters of faith, such as Our Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament, are a mystery, not a miracle in the strict sense, because the reality is not visible to the human eye.

Miracles ultimately point to how God acts in our lives. Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, is Himself God's revelation. The most fundamental miracle is therefore the Incarnation. All of salvation is rooted in the Incarnation, and so it is with miracles. It may be said that the Incarnation is the "miracle of miracles." Through the Incarnation, the Invisible Deity is made Visible. While the Incarnation is the root miracle of salvation, the Resurrection is the definitive and ultimate sign of Christ's divine authority.  It is clear that those who consistently reject the possibility of miracles will often end up demythologising both the Incarnation and the Resurrection – that is, that God didn’t really become man, nor did Jesus really rise from the dead. For the skeptics, the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery are all part of the Christian myth, together with miracles and a whole load of other nonsense.

Thus our belief in miracles of Christ ultimately affirms his divinity. Christ performed these miracles not just to dazzle us with the spectacular. A magician or an artist could easily do the same. Rather, miracles will always have as their primary purpose the glorification of God and the calling of people to salvation. The signs worked by Jesus attest to His divine authority and invite belief in Him. They were signs of the Kingdom of God breaking into our world. After His Ascension and Pentecost, Christ's disciples worked miracles in the name of Christ, thus giving the people signs of His divinity and proofs that He is who they said He is. In the same way later saints worked miracles to testify to a higher authority and that people are called to His kingdom. 

Today, the church celebrates the Feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim. Both of them are the parents of Our Blessed Mother. Traditionally, the history of the Church and the chronicles of various places of pilgrimage have recorded countless miracles wrought by Christ through the intercession of His Sainted grandmother. Nor have they ceased to this day. Pope Gregory XIII, when introducing the feast of St. Anne declared "We believe that St. Anne continually intercedes for us with the merciful Lord, for through her great benefits have come to mankind. From her, was born the ever pure immaculate Virgin Mary, who was found worthy to bring forth Jesus Christ, our Redeemer." To many Saints God has granted the power of working miracles. 

Jesus could not refuse to His own grandmother. Those related to Him by the ties of blood were dear to Him in life and still have great power through their intercession. There can be no question, then, that St. Anne has great influence over her Divine Grandson and that by her intercessory power she can also work miracles in favour of her clients.

Miracles aren’t about altering or defying reality. On the contrary, miracles point to the “heart of reality” – to the way things are supposed to be in overcoming the way things are; which is always pretty surprising when we think “the way things are” is all that there is. Where we see scarcity God sees abundance. When we see dead ends, God sees beginnings. When we see the failure of sin, God sees the victory of redemption. And so those scholars who want to rationalise miracles are missing the whole point. Miracles are done to show, not simply tell, that God’s abundance is more real than the world’s scarcity; that God’s love is more real than the world’s brokenness; that God’s reconciling, vivifying, multiplying grace is more real than the world’s division and subtraction. Miracles, in expounding the power of grace over the limitations of nature, remind us that a marriage has not failed just because we have exhausted all human efforts at reconciliation. Where there is still faith, and hope and charity, there is the power of grace that brings healing and forgiveness to even the most impossible of situations. 

In an age of science, we need to reaffirm our belief in miracles. We, of course, do not go in search of them, for what is contingently good ceases to be so, when it is desired for itself without reference to the Ultimate Good, which is God. God is the author of miracles and it is He who must decide when a miracle is deigned necessary.  Miracles are never meant to distract us from God. Rather, their essential purpose is to indicate that the human person is destined and called to the kingdom of God. Instead of insatiably hunting for the miracles of God, we should refocus our attention in searching for the God who stands behind those miracles. And in our single-hearted search for God and his will, He sometimes deigned it proper to reveal a miracle to strengthen our resolve and spur us on to greater heights. Miracles therefore act as signposts pointing the way that we need to take, reassuring us of God’s presence especially in moments of doubt, and finally, breathing new excitement into our faith. These signs therefore confirm in different ages and in the most varied circumstances the truth of the Gospel, and demonstrate the saving power of Christ who does not cease to call people on the path of faith. By contemplating these special graces, it is hope that we may come to love and recognise him daily in the ordinary situations and seasons of life where God is most certainly present and alive!

Contemplative Prayer

Sixteenth Ordinary Sunday Year B

We are all busy people.  We often find ourselves running out of time. We would often think that we would have so much more time to do the things we like to do, to spend more time with our families, volunteer more of our time to charity and the church, and, of course, have more time for prayer. All these are just wishful thinking! As a working adult, I often find myself ended up with a whole long list of activities. I guess one problem with our complicated lives these days is that many of us never find time to spend alone, in peace, without being bombarded with activity, crowds, noise and information. There’s no doubt about it – we live in a busy world. 

Time is something we wrestle with every day. Our lives are packed so full that the day is finished before we have accomplished half of what we wanted to do. In fact, experts tell us that we are trying to do in one day that not so long ago took three days. In spite of the fact that we frequently complain about our daily busy-ness, we also take great pride that our fully booked schedules and cluttered diaries are indications of our self-importance. Busy people are important people. Activity seems to be a good measure of our real worth.

The Twelve apostles returned from their busy assignments in today’s gospel to give a report of their activities to the Master who had sent them out on this mission. They have not been idle. Anyone, including the Twelve, would have hoped that the litany of their achievements would be met with more than a simple approval. In fact, they had done more than what was required. The Lord had sent them out in an earlier chapter to cast out demons, but now they return boasting that they had also taught in his name. Being busy and active seems to be an essential part of the ball game if you decide to play on Jesus’ team. The disciples were in the middle of this flurry of activities that followed Jesus wherever he went. For example, in today’s gospel we hear that "there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and the disciples didn’t even have time to eat" (Mark 6:31).

But Jesus’ response to the Twelve’s enthusiasm would have floored many of us. Instead of commending them on a job well done, and encouraging them to return to the frontlines as soon as possible, he invites them to go away with him to a deserted place to be alone together with him. Jesus is not just inviting his disciples to take time out of their busy schedule. Time out is a good strategy in sports, when the game needs to be slowed down; when weary players need a short break; when advice from the coach is needed to give the team the winning edge; when a player needs encouragement and support; when it seems that the opponents are getting an upper hand; a call for time out is what is needed. Certainly, taking time out is a wise principle in everyday living. 

Rather, Jesus is calling them to a time away with himself. He is leading them away from the distractions posed by their busy-ness and activism, even when such activism seemed to be doing the work of God, to a deeper level of relating with him. Jesus is calling them into prayerful contemplation. Contemplation, or contemplative prayer, is not something that can be achieved through will, but rather is God's gift. It is the opening of mind and heart - one's whole being - to God. Contemplative prayer is a process of interior transformation. It is a relationship initiated by God and leading, if one consents, to divine union. Essential to contemplative prayer is docility toward the word of God resulting in ready obedience. This calls for us to surrender entirely to his will, to put aside our need to dictate terms, to suspend our constant desire to be in control in order to allow God to have total control of us.

When God is in control, we can no longer insist that we wish to have our prayer experience saturated with a particular kind of feeling, especially the feeling of being consoled and loved. When God is in control, He can certainly lead us to move beyond the feelings of warmth and security, in fact, beyond all feelings and emotions. 

But perhaps, the real issue faced by most Christians is that they claim that they do not even have time for prayer. The oft repeated excuse is that we are too busy to waste time on this seemingly vacuous and fruitless activity. Frederic Ozanam, the founder of the Society of St Vincent de Paul was once asked how he could find time away from his busy schedule to pray and his simple reply was this, “The more active you are, the more time you should set aside for prayer.” Action, even when it is directed to the mission of Christ and his Church can never be a substitute for prayer. When Christians fail to prayer, they cease to be Christians. Even the most active in Christian ministry will be reduced to a social activist. 

Prayer requires solitude, moving away from the crowds which tempt us with promises of popularity as we pander to their needs. Prayer demands silence, silence from the cacophony of noises that try to silence the voice of God. Prayer requires trust – trusting in God who leads us away to lonely deserted places to a deeper relationship that is not measured by the things we do but by how much we are capable of loving and allowing ourselves to be loved. Prayer leads us away from the temptation of trusting our own devices and resources in order that we may learn to trust God and His Providence. Prayer reminds us of the mastery and sovereignty of God, a God who continues to work even when men rests. Prayer teaches us that true measure of a Christian is not what he has accomplished in life but how he has been constantly with Jesus in both work and rest, in prayer and ministry, in and out of season.

Radical dependence on God

Fifteenth Ordinary Sunday Year B 

Last Thursday, I had an opportunity to participate in the Catholic Students' meeting in one of the local university - UTAR. I'm pleased to welcome the newly elected committee members and also the new members who joined us for the meeting. As a formal chairman of the catholic students' group, I have to admit that I often worry. I'm afraid of the extra luggage- the extra responsibility being a chairperson. I guess some of the newly elected committee have that fear too. I can assure you this: if we rely on the power and providence of God, we shall not afraid, as nothing is impossible for God. 

Many would think that excess luggage: they can tie us down, get in the way, and drain our sense of energy and adventure. Conversely, the less stuff we have to worry about, the more nimble we become—and the better able to embrace new opportunities and experiences. To regain our freedom, we simply need to lighten our loads.

In today’s gospel, Jesus presents this wise piece of advisory to his disciples and to all Christians. But Jesus’ version seem even harsher than what you would expect. Jesus said “Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick- no food, no sack, no money …. (can ) wear sandals but not a second tunic.”  Many would be tempted to think that Jesus had imposed such harsh austere conditions because it arose from some sick sadistic pleasure to see his disciples suffer. Others would explain away the extreme demands made by merely dismissing the whole episode as a literary hyperbole – a mere exaggeration of the actual conditions required in order to prove a point, not to be taken literally. Very often, we would try to escape from the rigorous constraints placed by Jesus by spiritualising the message. But, it is clear that the most important lesson that Jesus wanted to impress on his disciples was a radical dependence on God with regards to disciples and would-be disciples. He had made this demand right from the beginning when he called Peter and his brother Andrew and the two siblings, James and John, from their previous stable occupations of fishing. They left not only their possessions, a paying job, their hometowns, but also friends, relatives and even families. 

Radical dependence on God means not anchoring ourselves to our present situation of life. The conditions imposed by Jesus on travelling lightly stresses the importance of always being on the move. We are to steer away from the temptation of growing roots, hanging on to what we possess, holding onto relationships we have established, keeping a firm hold to positions we have acquired. Christians need to be always on the move because we are a missionary people called to proclaim the kingdom of God to furthest ends of the earth. Christians become overly parochial and insular when they lose their missionary edge. Inertia makes them grow spiritually fat and lazy. When Christians or  students' community have become overburdened with heavy baggage, they no longer see the excitement and enthusiasm of sharing their faith.  

Secondly, radical dependence on God means rooting ourselves in the Church. Being dependent on God does not mean that one is a Lone Ranger or a soloist. Jesus sent out the Twelve two by two. Dependence on God requires dependence and submission to the community which Christ established as his visible body, the Church. Dependence on God means communion and collaboration with others called to the same mission. Radical dependence calls us to recognise that the Church is the People of God moving together and journeying towards the Promised Land of eternal salvation. 

Thirdly, radical dependence means freedom from enslavement to sin, material possessions, false securities, self-sufficiency and pride. Interestingly, the four items required of the Twelve in today’s gospel are identical to that which God told the Hebrews to take on their flight from Egypt in the Exodus (Ex. 12:11). The Hebrews were rescued by God from their condition of slavery in Egypt. But eventually, they found themselves enslaved to new masters – to the things which they brought as additional security. This radical rejection of those items point to a second Exodus which all Christians must take. In order to be free, one must not only be free from external masters but also from the tyranny of self.

Fourthly, radical dependence means accepting the hospitality of God. The whole story of the Bible could be seen through the interpretive key of ‘hospitality.’ God offers hospitality to man in Creation – he builds a home and furnishes it with all that is necessary for man’s livelihood and wellbeing. God offers hospitality to man by offering him forgiveness and reconciliation, even when man had turn God out of his life. And finally, God offers hospitality to man through the gift of salvation. He offers us the hospitality of heaven.  Hospitality means trusting in God’s providence. When we move into the home of a friend who has offered us hospitality, we don’t move our entire household, furniture, furnishings and lock-stock and barrel into this new environ. We move in with the expected hope that all our needs will be provided for. God will provide for our needs. Thus the radical dispossession of the disciples of Christ will be matched with the bountiful grace, riches, hospitality, and blessings of God. God will provide his workers with their ‘daily bread.’

As Christians, we are often tempted to surround ourselves with several layers of security blankets, to get into the rut of daily routine and develop inertia against change. The radical call of Christ, however, shakes us from our stupour. Christians are meant to always be uprooted whilst rooted in Christ. They are meant to live on the edge whilst living in dependence of God’s providence. They are called go out on a limb whilst attached to the True Vine who gives them life. They are called to travel lightly, whilst carrying the heavy weight of being effective witnesses of the good news of salvation. Only then, can the Kingdom of God be seen not only as the content of their message but in the testimony of  their lives.

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe

Solemnity of St. Thomas

We love miracle. Mystical events that seem to defy the laws of science have fascinated people in various places and times. Miracle healings, spiritual visitations, apparitions, icons and statues that weep, hands and feet that seem to bear the wounds of Christ, images of Christ or Our Lady appearing on various objects, oil and other substance oozing out of objects, are not only the grist for tabloid press but have also won a place in mainline belief.  Any word of weeping statues, leaking paintings, miraculous appearances of images is bound to attract a whole spectrum of visitors, from believers, paranormal investigators, sceptics, to the tabloid media.

Today’s gospel speaks of the value in seeing in order to believe but makes a far more important case for believing without having to see.  The story is comprised of two resurrection appearances – one on Easter evening, the second a week later. Thomas was absent in the first, and was present in the second. Being absent during the first appearance, St Thomas did not see the resurrected Lord, nor did he behold the Saviour’s wounded hands and side. And so it was that when Thomas was told that Jesus had appeared to them, he refused to believe. Eight days passed. The disciples were all together once again, including Thomas. Jesus appears in their midst though the doors are locked. Immediately, Jesus turns His attention to Thomas. He summons Thomas to come and to put his finger where the nails had pierced His hands, and to feel His side where the spear had pierced it. But now after seeing Jesus alive he no longer required this proof. It may have taken this sight to convince Thomas, but once convinced, Thomas shed his unbelief and exchanged it with belief, not only of the truth of the resurrection, but that this Jesus was His Lord and God. But there is something far greater in store for those who were not present at both these appearances but had to rely on eyewitness reports alone, namely us. Jesus announces this in the form of a Beatitude, “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

There is no doubt that there is blessedness in seeing; and there is blessedness in believing; and there is blessedness in believing after seeing; but that of which the Lord here speaks is a blessedness different from these, and truer than all of them—the blessedness of believing without seeing. Thomas and the other apostles had the privilege of seeing and believing, and many would envy their advantage as firsthand witnesses; yet the Lord assures the rest of us who have “not seen” him in the flesh, that there is great blessedness in believing even when we are denied to opportunity to see. This blessedness flows from simple faith, in the absence of all visible or sensible helps; simple faith, that counts God's testimony sufficient, makes no demands of signs from him, though, in doing this, it is unassisted by eye, or ear, or hand.

Just like St Thomas was called, we too are invited to move beyond the sensational aspects of the resurrection to a more mature faith in Jesus as ever present to his followers. We who live beyond the age of the first eyewitnesses of the wonder of the resurrection, and who have to contend with second hand accounts of this event, would find consolation in this story of St Thomas. As one who hesitated, questioned, and then moved from scepticism to a firmer, more committed faith, Thomas is a source of encouragement for all of us, who often struggle with issues of faith especially in the face of an apparently invisible and intangible God.

This is the Church’s day of faith, not of sight; for during her Lord's absence, she lives by believing, not seeing. Others have seen for her; and she believes what they saw. She hears the report concerning the dead, buried, risen Saviour; and, believing it, she rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory. So, today we ask for a greater faith to believe even without seeing. We need not ask for a sign; there shall no sign given but the sign of Jonah; the sign of the Son of Man being raised up, the sign of the Empty Tomb, and the sign of his everlasting presence in the breaking of bread. This is her blessedness and honour. Let our faith rest simply there, in the absence of sense, or sight, or feeling, or sign, external or internal. Remember how it is written, “If you shall believe, you shall see.” The vision will come in its due time, and it will be infinitely glorious; meanwhile, walk by faith, until the day breaks and the shadows flee away. Till then, “happy (and blessed) are those who have not seen and yet believe.”