It is early morning and Jane creeps into our room to snuggle up to her Lola and engage in lazy early morning prattle. Joy and a miracle of life at the first light of day!
Whoever says miracles do not happen is totally encrusted in jaded cynicism, deliberately turning a blind eye to the many miracles around us: the sunrise, the chirping birds, loving presence, warm hearts and homes. We can make miracles happen in our lives and in the lives of others. The biggest miracles that can happen today would be the end to poverty, hunger, conflicts and wars. But out of pride and selfishness, we don’t do it. We have the resources to banish poverty and hunger forever but we don’t because those who have would rather hoard or even throw away their surplus rather than see the value of their commodities or goods go down. Politicians often know what the common good is or what needs to be done but they don’t for that will make them appear like capitulating to their political opponents. People can forgive and end all the wars and conflicts in the world but they don’t because they have allowed the anger and the hatred to fester and poison their hearts.
Jesus held the people spellbound for three days in the desert with his teaching and healing. He could not send them home hungry but he has created the right atmosphere for a miracle to happen. The traditional understanding of the miracle of the multiplication of the bread was that the loaves and the fish just physically multiplied. A reading that I like better is that the people were so filled with the spirit of love and sharing after spending time with Jesus that they started sharing whatever they had with them with all the others. And there was more than enough for everybody. I like this reading better because I had seen it happen myself. Anabelle and I were in EDSA on those four fateful days in February 1986. And we never went hungry. Food was literally flowing and it was all for free. The place and the people were all inspired by the spirit of love and forgiveness. They shared everything including whatever food they had with them.
Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Matthew 15:29-37