BELIEF  IN  MIRACLES

INTRODUCTION

The  title  of my homily is, “Belief in Miracles.”

Today’s  gospel   has the story of Jesus walking  on  water.  It’s a classic miracle story and metaphor. So,  last night in preparing this homily I decided to think about miracles.  So the title of my reflection is,  “Belief in Miracles.”

MARTIN O’MALLEY

I got an e-mail Christmas card from a friend of mine, Martin O’Malley. Great name. I had told him I now live next to the ocean.

Some of his roots are from Galway, Ireland and my parents are from Galway, Ireland. I told him I like to stand down by the water and say to myself  - pointing out into the Atlantic , “Galway,  Ireland is right there.” 

He had said he did the same thing with his kids at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland when they were kids.

Then I told him about the statue of Mary on our property here that has Jesus doing the same thing: pointing out to the water. 

Did Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the Sea of Galilee when he was a kid?  It’s not that far from Nazareth.

He slid into a follow up e-mail the following words, “The miracle is to walk on land.”

I wrote back to him, “Great quote. I’ll give you credit if it’s yours.”

THICH NHAT HANH

He wrote back, “Sorry. It’s from Thich Nhat Hanh – whom I met and love to read. Thich said, ‘The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.’”

Wow is that classic Buddhist spiritual visioning.

I’ve been thinking about that and surprise today’s gospel appears and I’m down for saying a few words.

Last night I looked up what other folks have said about miracles and how we see.

Jon Bon Jovi said, “Miracles happen every day, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you.”   

Change your attitude – open up both your eyes – and open up the third eye – the inner eye the mystics talk about.

Have that faith and you can stand on our beach and be in communion with all the people on the waters and the land they lap and wave to all day long.

Have that faith – have that way of thinking and seeing – and you can be in communion during this meal with all people at 8 o’clock Masses in this time zone and all people having breakfast, lunch and supper around the world at this time – the constant daily miracle of the multiplication of the  loves of daily bread around the world.

Have that faith, that way of seeing, and every time you see visible signs of love, you’ll see and sense the presence of the invisible God all around you  - as today’s first reading from the First Letter of John puts it. [Cf. .  4:11-18]

Have that faith – that way of perceiving – and you can write the song in the Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical, The Flower Drum Song. “A Hundred Million Miracles”.

The refrain is saying what I’m saying in this homily,

           “A hundred million miracles,

            A hundred million miracles are happ'ning ev'ry day,

            And those who say they don't agree

            Are those who do not hear or see.

            A hundred million miracles,

            A hundred million miracles are happ'ning ev'ry day….”

Notice today’s gospel has that very same message when Mark tells us about those who don’t get it, “They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.” [Mark 6: 52]

But those who get it see Jesus walking with them when on the water, in a boat, at a meal, at this mass, when walking on this planet.

As the flower drum song puts it,  those who get this ability to see miracles see the miracle of children growing, the  rivers flowing, the sun rising, flowers flowering, stars staring and a little girl in China –  standing up today and starting to walk for the first time.

CONCLUSION

As Albert Einstein put it, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” 

Our move ….