{"id":4454,"date":"2022-03-08T09:09:12","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T08:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/predication.net\/?p=4454"},"modified":"2022-03-08T09:09:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T08:09:13","slug":"believe-and-you-will-see-a-miracle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=4454","title":{"rendered":"Believe, and you will see a miracle."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Surely, you know many people in your neighborhood who often grumble about their lives. You know about their afflictions that weigh them down. And actually, we don’t even have to go far because each has our cross to bear. The crosses are different, just as people’s attitudes toward their afflictions are different. We often hear from our unbelieving brethren, “How can you believe today, in a time of such progress?” And some will even say, “If God shows me a miracle, I will believe.”<\/h2>\n
And just today, we hear these words in God’s Gospel, which invites us to think a little differently when it says that the Jews will not receive a sign from God. For God offers a miracle or a character `to him who believes in him.’ As St. Luke offers it to us, the Word of God presents Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. This journey takes him long, stretching almost the entire Gospel. This is not because Jesus could not find his way, but because of his love for people, especially when he saw all the people’s misery. One of the events during this journey is the dispute between the listeners and the Teacher himself. When the crowd began to gather, Jesus pronounced this generation evil. Why? Because he asks for a sign. What that sign was is clear from the events before and the character of the whole gospel. The crowds wanted to see a miracle as proof of Jesus’ divinity. But Jesus gives an answer that does not lose its authenticity even today. He offers them a sign through the figure of the prophet Jonah. This `man of repentance’ was cast into the underworld through the great fish. But God left him there for three days. And He delivered him again. Christ suffered for us on the cross, died, was buried in the tomb. But God raised him after three days to live and conquer death. Doesn’t the message of faith from God Himself ring out to us today? “Believe, and you will see miracles,” not, “here is a miracle and believe.” Consider Jesus’ contemporaries. Weren’t all who saw signs and wonders converted? Didn’t God win all his hearers? Not at all.<\/h2>\n
There is a view today that evil is winning in the world. Let us look at those parts of the world where Muslims persecute Christians. Inhuman treatment, abuse, cruel humiliation, even killing. What miracle do these Christians see that they continue to be Christians? They believe that Jesus is the one who has the last word in the world. Their hope is the cross, this hint of hope even in such a sea of pain. We today do not have to face such a threat. But let us note the example of a trust that in itself – if it is sincere – is a miracle. “Whoever wants to experience miracles in his life, let him not be afraid to open himself to Christ. He takes nothing away, but perfects everything in us”, as Pope Benedict XVI said.<\/h2>\n
Almighty God, we thank you for creating us. Teach us to trust in you. In times of trial, it significantly helps us believe and receive a sign. For you have already given us the most significant warning: yourself for us<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"