Most greeting cards convey trite messages but once in awhile we receive gems that are never forgotten. When I graduated from the seminary 25 years ago, a close friend sent me a card of congratulations I will not forget. The front featured a monk busily writing on a long scroll. He pauses to comment, “Your graduation should be listed amongst the sacred events in the Bible.” Inside, the message continues, “…along with the other miracles!”
So true! For me, graduation was a miracle. After five years of study, I finally had my degree in hand, unlike many of my peers who had dropped out. We tend to think of miracles as magical, unnatural acts; events beyond our wildest expectations. If my hearing was suddenly restored, that would be a miracle.
Imagine what the reaction would be if anyone today could turn water into wine. Undoubtedly, that would be a major news story that would catch the attention of many curious reporters who would ask, “How did you make this happen?” I could picture those reporters also asking, “Can you change my worn out $10 bill into a newly printed $100 bill? Can you change my badly dented Ford into a brand new Lexus SUV?” Maybe an illusionist like David Copperfield could pull off such a stunt.
Bent on getting a sensational story, the typical reporter would be apt to miss the whole point of what a miracle is really about. Jesus used miracles to show everyone around him the fullest beauty and expression of God’s love.
John did not even call these events miracles. Through out his gospel, he records seven such incidents, calling them signs. These events were used to reveal Jesus’ true identity to his followers. They pointed to the hour in which Jesus’ divine glory would be revealed, namely his passion, resurrection and the eternal banquet.
The incident at Cana is a very fitting start to Jesus’ public ministry. Unlike other celebrations, a wedding feast denotes the start of new life and the anticipation of many life miracles for the groom and his bride. Likewise, John provides us with this sign to convey that Jesus and his bride, the Church, have the potential, like any newlyweds do, to change the lives of many.
Miracles bring about change when and where we least expect. Years ago, I saw a movie entitled, A Soldier’s Story. The film was about a black captain in the army during WWII who was sent to a small Louisiana town to investigate the death of a black sergeant. Even though he was a lawyer, this captain, because of his race, encountered much skepticism from the white officers. In the end, he brought immense credibility to his mission of justice. In the closing scene, one white captain offers him a ride to his destination. While driving, he asked, “I guess I have to get used to black officers now?” The reply was predictable. “Guess you have to get used to black officers now.”
I consider the film to be a good example of a miracle because the story portrayed a miracle of accomplishment, a miracle of recognition, a miracle of respect and a miracle of admiration. Miracles should not be seen only as events that defy the laws of nature but also as unexpected events that happened because someone believed that with God’s grace they could happen.
On Monday, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy as a man who believed in miracles. In 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he expressed his conviction in miracles when he said, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed; we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!”
Contrast the racial attitudes of today with the tensions this country experienced in the mid sixties when Dr. King shared his dream. Did anyone listening to him that day envision that an African-American child born in Hawaii would today be president of this country? Wouldn’t you consider the change in our racial attitudes to be a miracle? I do, even though we as a society still have a long ways to go before we can honestly claim to be living out fully the true meaning of our nation’s creed, namely that everyone from the unborn to the terminally ill is endowed with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of hapness.
The miracles we witness occur because some people believe in themselves, their potential to make a difference, and the divine providence to move forward with their dream. They recognize that the gifts given them by the Holy Spirit aren’t meant to be kept under wraps but are to be used for building up God’s kingdom.
Unfortunately, many do not believe in the power or reality of miracles. Thus, talents and gifts are ignored or overlooked because they are not seen as the origins of miracles. Age and wisdom are dismissed because they too are not seen as sources of miracles. The ability to alter, to adapt, to amend, to change is not taken seriously. When that becomes our personal creed, then miracles cease to exist for miracles cannot happen unless we dare to believe in them, in God, and in ourselves to create the new life for ourselves and others that only miracles can create.
The challenge posed by these readings is to become more sensitive to the many signs of God’s power and glory. Imagine how our world would change if each one of us took hold of even one of the many gifts we have been given by the Spirit and transformed our lives in the coming year, like water into good wine to be shared with others. How miraculous that would be!