WATCHWORD:
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. John 6:8-15
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12
Meditation:
Reality of the Miraculous
Imagine that you’re a time traveler and while you have all the modern-day knowledge and you are well-versed in Biblical scripture, you find yourself in a crowd on a hillside north of Bethesda in Galilee listening to a teacher/preacher.
You had just settled yourself on a grassy hill when you realize who that the man down there speaking was. Jesus the Christ, Emmanuel, El-Shaddai, God Almighty, the Creator of all things and he is speaking to this crowd, and you are in His presence! You realize that these people do not know who is talking, not really, they only know that what he saying is wonderful, is blessed, and it is new to their ears. I would never remark that I’ve heard this before, even though it has a familiar ring to it.
So, you sit there mesmerized by how different hearing the Words of Jesus teachings, first hand from the Master, are so different from you own reading in the Bible. Yes, the disciples, the writers of the gospel got the general meaning of it correct, but hearing it directly from Jesus was somehow so different, so much more meaningful, so much more powerful.
As you look around you begin to realize where you are, and you know what’s coming. You think you’re prepared, but when the moment comes, and Jesus stands before you, blessing a small loaf of bread in one hand and the meat of a fish in the other, you suddenly find it hard to breathe, your heart is beating so, you can’t speak, and can hardly see for the tears that flow from your eyes. It’s one thing to hear about a miracle, or to read about it, it is quite another to stand there in the wake of the miracle itself and feel the power of the moment wash over you. The reality of the miraculous is so much more… I don’t know, something much more reverent? More than that, so much more than the story of it.
You want to turn away, but you can’t. You look across the hillside and people are just passing the baskets, taking food from them, some of them were already eating. The power of the moment somehow lost in the magnitude of it. Early on, there had been a hub-bub of shocked conversations, but now everyone was silent, as if they began to realize that they were part of something beyond them, a miraculous happening, and didn’t know what to do about it, or how to react. You find yourself sharing that same feeling,
What would we do in the face of a miracle, unfolding before us? How would we react? Let me say it differently: I firmly believe that we have seen miracles all around us and we have treated them as if there’s a reason for that, there’s an explanation. It’s the doctor, the medicine, just a little beyond our understanding. My lung cancer was cured because a Physician Assistant was curious, touching off a chain-reaction of doctors that resulted in surgery and the cure. Was there a miracle? I think so, and if you ever saw a PET Scan in action you would think so, too.
In the face of inoperable and incurable diseases with our loved ones, we have prayed for a miracle. Our loved one died. No miracle. Yet, we do not know. For now we see dimly, as a reflection as in a mirror. We do not know what God has in mind, just around the bend. We do know about the next room, the mansion with rooms that we have been promised for all eternity. We do know that is farthest from our minds and we may be unaware that the miracle has already happened. Our loved is ecstatic with joy, eternal joy of being with our Lord and Savior. Yet, we on this side of the curtain, we know only part of the story, and we feel it.
Faith can only take us so far and then we must trust our Lord to get us the rest of the way. We may gain something by a first-hand witness to a miracle, by our definition, but how would that knowledge gain or strengthen our faith? It doesn’t take faith to know what you have just witnessed. It does take faith and belief to realize whose we are and that what we call miracles, are graces from our Lord. Amen.
Grant Us Faith:
Grant us faith, Lord, deep, deep faith to overcome our doubt and our tendency to want to see beyond the curtain, before our time. You are Master of the universe, and you chose to love us! That fact, alone, is so very hard for us to grasp, and cling to. That fact alone is a miracle. So, along with that full measure of faith, Lord, please grant us unwavering trust in You. Amen.
