My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
MIRACLES AND WONDERS ACCORDING TO
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY.
“JESUS answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John [Baptist and Forerunner]
the things (miracles) YOU HAVE SEEN and HEARD: that the BLIND SEE, THE
LAME WALK, THE LEPERS ARE CLEANSED, THE DEAF HEAR, THE DEAD
ARE RAISED, THE POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM” [Luke 7:22].
What is a Miracle?
The Orthodox Christian definition is the following: “A sign whereby God
SUPERSEDES THE NORMAL LAWS OF NATURE in a mysterious way in
order to MANIFEST HIS POWER as Master of the universe. Jesus Christ
PERFORMED COUNTLESS MIRACLES–some showing His mastery over
nature, others demonstrating His power over SIN, DISEASE, AND DEATH.
The Holy Apostles continued to manifest the power of God through miracles.
HEALINGS, WEEPING ICONS, AND HOLY RELICS, and other contemporary
miracles also show His power in the world today. [see Matthew 6:1-34;
The Greek word for “miracle” is “THAVMA”, which directly translates to “WONDER” in English. “Thavma” comes from the verb “thavmazein” (“θαυμάζειν”) which means “to wonder at” or “to be amazed by.”
The Old Testament records over 80 miracles. According to the New Testament, Jesus conducted over 40 miracles. Our Holy Orthodox Church believes that miracles are from God and are meant to lead the faithful to faith. Orthodox Christian also believe that the Almighty and Merciful God may conduct miracles as an act of mercy to help those in need. Furthermore, the Holy Church believes that the Holy Spirit is always present in the Church, and that this is why the Church has Saints, holy icons, holy relics and oil and water that are considered to be “wonderworking.” One most frequent miracle is a miracle that occurs in every Divine Liturgy. The priest invokes the Holy Spirit to come upon him and upon the Precious Gifts: “Again we offer unto Thee this reasonable and bloodless worship, and beseech Thee and pray Thee and supplicate Thee SEND DOWN THY HOLY SPIRIT UPON US AND UPON THESE GIFTS HERE PRESENTED. And make this bread, the Precious Body of Thy Christ. Amen. And that which is in this Chalice, the Precious Blood of Thy Christ. Amen. CHANGING THEM BY THY HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN, AMEN, AMEN. “The Sacrament (Mystery) of the Holy Eucharist is consummated and the Divine Lamb has been bloodlessly immolated by the priest. Through his blessing the power of the Holy Spirit has CHANGED the Precious Gifts, the bread and wine on the altar, INTO CHRIST’S Precious Body and All-Holy Blood in a manner that the senses cannot perceive and created intelligence cannot understand.”
Miracles and Miraculous Healings
Do miracles happen? Our faith is based on the miracle of the bodily RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead. If this miracle did not take place, then our faith is in vain [1 Corinthians 15:14]. The Holy Bible records many miracles, also called “SIGNS” or “WONDERS” OR “PORTENTS” (Acts 2:22; 2 Corinthians 12:12) or plain “WORKS” {Matthew 12:2; John 5:20.36, 10:25) performed by the Lord. Also many Saints performed miracles, including miraculous healings. Through miracles GOD MANIFESTS THAT HE IS THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE AND THAT EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO HIM. A miracle is not an “interference” on part of God in His creation. Certainly is not a violation of the natural order, since God cannot be “unnatural.” Rather a miracle is included in God’s inscrutable plan of creation, its governance and its ultimate purpose. Through miracles the Lord MANIFESTS HIS DIVINITY AND SHOWS THAT HE IS THE ONE WHO GIVES US LIFE, CARES FOR US AND LOVES US. Miracles also STRENGTHEN OUR WEAK FAITH. “Signs” are A CONDESCENSION TO HUMAN WEAKNESS.”
Miracles are not definitive proofs of the uniqueness of the Christian faith. They DO NOT PRODUCE FAITH WHERE THERE WAS NONE. Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, yet the miraculous plagues brought upon his people were a source of faith among the Hebrews for generations [Exodus 10:1-2] What good is there, then, to have miracles, if they cannot offer proof of the existence of the supernatural? Well, what good would there be if God had to violate our free will in order to convince us? “FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN” [Hebrews 11:1], and will always remain personal subjective matter–miracles notwithstanding. FAITH REQUIRES A PREDISPOSITION OF THE HEART: OPENNESS TO THE TRUTH, AND WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT IT AND TO LIVE BY IT. This is why the unrepentant hearts of the Pharisees and of Pharaoh remained unmoved.
RATIONALISM refuses to accept an event that cannot be explained away by our intellect. Dead people do not come back to life. Blind people do not obtain their vision nor do paralyzed people stand up and walk instantaneously. Water does not turn into wine. You cannot have twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish after 5,000 men (besides the women and the children) eat to their satisfaction out of five fish and two loaves of bread. There is, however, a misunderstanding over what constitutes a miracle. A miracle is not an event contrary to nature, a violation or an infraction of the “laws” of nature. Even when it is perceived as against nature, it is NOT “UNNATURAL” or “ILLOGICAL.”
MIRACLES happen around us, but either we don’t perceive them or we don’t acknowledge them. “The miraculous multiplication of the loaves in the hands of the Savior seemed insufficient to [the Pharisees]. This was done quietly with the holy humility in which all of the God-man’s actions were imbued but the people needed a spectacle; something which produced an effect. They needed the skies to be covered by dense clouds, for the thunder to roll and the lightning to dazzle, and the loaves to fall from heaven.” Why didn’t the Lord do just that (impress everyone with a really spectacular “sign”)? That way He would have turned the most obstinate unbeliever into a believer; He would surely make everyone believe. But, as we said, that would be a violation of the human will, something God would not do. If He did He would be taking away the gift which separates us from the animal world.
As we pray for healing and good health, we place our trust in God Who knows best what is good for us. Do we pray with the same intensity to receive the spiritual gifts as we do in order to receive material benefits? We should always keep in mind that the most important thing IS TO DO GOD’S WILL. [Resources: The Heavenly Banquet. Understanding the Divine Liturgy by Father Emmanuel Hatzidakis].
(To be continued)
___________
“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 