Miracles unaccompanied

Sermon for the twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

Did Jesus have 

to perform miracles?

Wouldn't His words

be enough?

He is clearly 

a charismatic preacher.

We hang on His every word

as He preaches 

the Beatitudes to us

from the mountainside.

He is witty

and good with puns

as Peter the rock

will tell you.

Isn't it to our shame then

that we won't believe Him

until He performs miracles?

[PAUSE]

That really depends 

on what the miracles are for.

Clearly, we do need them

otherwise, 

Jesus would not perform them.

They are expressions of His

compassion

and love.

They seek to supply

what is lacking

and correct

what is amiss.

Empty bellies are filled.

Senses are restored.

Life is given.

Our Lord shows

good faith to us

by allowing us to 

sample a little of

what He promises.

Enough to back up

what He tells us.

But these miracles

come only second to what 

He is trying to tell us.

The only miracle

that need prove the Gospel 

is the Cross.

Our Lord accomplishes

the redemption of mankind

in that one act 

of Death and Resurrection 

which

to our eyes

can only be a miracle.

That is the only 

necessary muracle.

Even that

isn't performed in order 

to be a miracle:

it is only a miracle 

in what we see.

[PAUSE]

As much as we would love

to see miracles, 

Our Lord wants us 

to have faith in Him

and what He tells us.

True,

we believe because 

He has backed up His words

with signs and wonders

but we now know

we can believe Him.

But what of those

who still don't?

Don't they need signs and wonders?

[PAUSE]

These days,

if you perform a miracle 

someone would post a video

on Youtube to debunk it.

Signs and wonders 

have never been enough

to convince everyone.

To some,

a miracle would

back up Our Lord's words

only for a while.

It is only by 

living with Our Lord

and getting to know Him,

listening to what He is saying,

eating with Him

laughing with Him,

watching Him in action

that we believe Him.

But people don't want

to spend time

growing in Faith.

They want

crash, bang, wallop!

And 

Hey presto!

But that doesn't get us

to the real Jesus.

[PAUSE]

Admittedly, 

it would be nice 

for us to have a few miracles today

to show people that

we Christians are telling the truth.

A star shining on our Cathedral, 

a Eucharistic miracle,

an apparition of Our Lady

would certainly 

gladdens our hearts

in a world of unbelief

and bring people to the Church. 

But it is Christ we preach,

and we rejoice in just

being able to speak of

the love He has for us

and showing others 

the same compassion 

that He has shown us.

If He chooses to give

us a sign and wonder

to follow what we say and do

then that is something 

we can rejoice in

and marvel at.

But a new miracle is something 

we don't need to expect

for the Gospel we proclaim

to be true.

The miracle of the Cross

will always do.