Fancy

“As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living.” (John 4:54).

Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda (Bloch)

I have been thinking about miracles.

They have such a way of presenting in the world.

We are used to hearing stories about miracles that are very obvious – people cured of incurable illnesses through the power of prayer alone, or relationships saved through the intercession of the Holy Spirit.  Those sort of miracles can be declared by the Holy Father to be miraculous and proven to be miraculous – they are the fancy miracles.

And those sort of fancy miracles are few and far between.  However, they are not the only miracles that exist.  There are a trillion much less fancy miracles that happen every day, and because they are not fancy, I fail to recognise them time and time again…

And this is not something new – not a new phenomenon – but rather something far more commonplace and stunning…

“An official whose son was ill...went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living.” (John 4:43-54).

People wanted to see signs that Christ was God.  They wanted proof.  And I cannot blame them – because I so often want proof too…

When I read that passage now, I can almost hear Christ reading between the lines, and responding – I am not a puppet show to entertain you.  I am here to help you.  I am here to do the work of my Father.  And that might mean that the miracles are smaller or quieter or less fancy – but that does not mean that they are any less magnificent.

Every single time I take a step in my life, I am actually taking a giant leap of faith.  My very decision to get myself out of bed in the morning and to move forward through my day is an act of faith so great that in and of itself it is magnificent.  And that magnificence is not a credit to my own work or my own efforts, but a credit to the trillion tiny miracles that have led me here.  It is a credit to a trillion little miracles that are no less magnificent than all the fancy ones that we hear about.

Because I guess what I have realised is that every miracle is personal and the personalisation of those miracles is what has made them astounding…

And when I consider all the trillions of miracles in my own life, I am astounded – for I am held in the Palm of His Hand, and that is the greatest miracle of all…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.