Matthew 15:32-38
Jesus took the
seven loaves and the few small fish; and giving thanks, he broke them and
started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people
in the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. The disciples picked up what
was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. And those who ate
were more than four thousand.
*
If
a homeless man appeared in Washington Square Park and claimed to be the Son of
God, what would be the greater proof: if he turned seven stale bagels into
2,000 Big Macs, or if he so inspired the people in the park to share whatever
they had, that for one night throughout New York City no one went to bed hungry,
no one fell asleep without shelter, no one cried from loneliness or despair?
Jesus
was filled with love and unconditional acceptance for others. While he walked
the hills and shores of Galilee, he called those around him to acts of love and
selflessness. He brought out the best in others just by being in his presence.
In the Gospel story of the loaves and the fishes Jesus worked a wonderful
miracle. But what was that miracle? Was it an act of magic that awed the crowd
and defied the laws of physical nature? Or was it an act of collective love
that defied the laws of human nature.
Was
the real miracle in this story not the reproduction of food, but Jesus’ ability
to get the people in the crowd to share what little food they had; and the
discovery that once they opened their hearts and their lunch baskets, there was
more than enough food for everyone? Knowing what we do about human nature, the
second possibility is the greater miracle.
We
all come into the world with a basic human tendency to be self centered and
selfish; to put our interests, needs and survival before the love of God and
the needs of others; to turn inward rather than reach outward in love with God
and with our neighbor. While our human nature enables us to survive it can also
be an obstacle to love.
While
we focus on ourselves, it is difficult for God’s unconditional love to flow
through us and out into a troubled world. While we focus on ourselves, it is
hard to hear God calling to us in the song of a morning bird or the patter of a
summer night’s rain; to see God in the eyes of our children, in the smile of
our lover; in the companionship of a colleague or a co-worker. While we focus
on ourselves, it is difficult to hear the cries of the lonely, the desperation
of the oppressed, and the hunger of the poor. While we focus on ourselves, not
only do we miss the chance to love and to reach out to others but we run the
risk of becoming so self-absorbed that we, like Narcissus, drown in our own
reflection.
But
while we all possess this basic human tendency to be self-centered, there is a
light that shines within our souls — a light that continuously calls us to break out of
the prison of selfishness. This light is Christ present within every human
being — whether we recognize this presence or not; whether we are Christian,
Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, agnostic or atheist. And the Christ
within calls each of us forth like Lazarus from the tomb, to emerge from our
prison of self-centeredness with acts of service and heroic love. Each time we answer ‘yes’ to this call a miracle happens.
I
have witnessed many miracles in my life. I have seen children and adults carry
food and clothing into the park on freezing winter mornings to comfort the
homeless. I have seen a frail young
woman, shivering in the
snow, hand back a blanket and tell us about a man sleeping in a
cardboard box on the next street who was sick and needed it more than she. I
have seen students spend their spring break building homes for the poor and
tutoring inner city children. I have seen administrators and faculty comforting
the victims of tragedy. I have seen successful and powerful executives share
their stories about struggling with addictions and mental illness to help
encourage others who were locked in similar prisons.
These
are the real miracles that Jesus brings about — not parlor tricks, but calling
out the best in each of us; helping us to defy the laws of self-interest and
survival to take care of others.
One
of the most moving miracles that I’ve ever heard of happened back in December
of 1981 when an Air Florida jet tragically crashed into the Potomac River
during an aborted takeoff from a Washington DC airport. I remember reading this
story in the New York Times and being
moved to tears:
HERO OF
737 DISASTER VANISHED UNDER RIVER
An unidentified passenger helped others to safety before vanishing
in the icy waters of the Potomac after the Air Florida crash here Wednesday.
The passenger was bald, about 50 years old, one of half a dozen survivors
clinging to wreckage bobbing in the river when the first rescue helicopter
arrived.
Life vests were dropped. The man passed them to the others. On two
occasions he handed away a lifeline from the hovering helicopter that could
have pulled him to safety. ‘That guy was amazing’ said a paramedic aboard the
helicopter. ‘All I can tell you is I’ve never seen that kind of guts. It seemed
like he decided that the women and the men who were bleeding needed to get out
before him and even as he was going under he stuck to his decision and helped
them all get out. My partner and I were talking as we went back over’ continued
the paramedic, ‘that even if he was under and we could see him we were going to
get him out. Man that was bravery.’ But there was no trace of the man whose
identity could not be learned.
I
have often wondered about that man in the water. Who was he? What was he? Was
he a saint or a sinner before the crash? Loving husband or adulterer? Did he
spend his time helping out in soup kitchens or embezzling funds from clients?
Did he go to church or temple or did he never pray? Whoever and whatever he was
before the crash, on that day in December he was called by God to perform a
miracle and he said, ‘yes’.
My
sisters and brothers let us thank God for miracles, for the loaves and the
fishes, and for the man in the water.
……………………………………………………………………………………..
Readers
of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on
Amazon.com:
Just
to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday Life
Synchronicity
as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for Spiritual Direction and
Pastoral Ministry
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