God longs for us to live in Christ

During the Lenten season God is reminding us that He is the reason for the season. It is a retreat being facilitated for us by God. Our God is so loving that He wants a relationship with us so badly (Joel 2:12). He wants us to have fullness of life (John 10:10). That was the major reason for sending His Son, Jesus, who came as a human being and willingly offered himself for our redemption (John 3:16). When we hear his voice, let us not harden our hearts (Psalm 95:8-11).

Miracle-driven life

As we  endeavour to find our back to God, we, however, encounter many challenges. The major one is the attraction to a miracle-based faith, which is rather more geared to our temporal needs, than a response to God’s need for us. By virtue of our being material, we are quick to relate with fellow matter. Our search for visible or observable and verifiable miracles, pathetically, engenders superficial faith, and poor relationship with God. Ironically, it is also true that invisible miracles fall victim of the same mindset.

Many miracles of a religious/spiritual nature, meant to nourish our faith, are not always observable. When Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, became man, it was not material and observable. That is why people stopped at seeing a human being like themselves. They did not believe he was the Son of God and Messiah, as he claimed. They disbelieved the miracle of the incarnation. When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, the miracle of God becoming nourishment for souls, people did not believe. When Jesus gave divine powers to people by ordaining them priests to make the sacrifice of Calvary and forgive people’s sins in the sacrament of reconciliation, people did not believe.

Explanation for miracles

Moreover, according to the official Catholic view, most “miracles” have a natural explanation. Many cases of healing which some claim to be miraculous are probably due to human suggestion or the power of the mind. Jesus cautions: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders so as to mislead if possible even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance,”- Matthew 24:24-25.

In the Bible, God made miracles to authenticate the messengers of his revelation. Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Elisha are some of the Old Testament prominent figures whose office and mission were authenticated with miracles. The whole life of Jesus Christ may be described as a series of miracles; indicating His Divinity which was united with His Humanity (incarnation) throughout earthly life, and  also forever.  Christ worked miracles and empowered his apostles to do the same, to introduce the New Testament revelation.

Miracles for  God’s glory

Miracles will always have as their primary purpose the glorification of God and the calling of people to salvation. God can, otherwise, still control everything without ever doing a miracle, but through providence. Providence in many ways is a greater miracle than a miracle. So, it would be absurd to assume that God is going to do miracles every day or that we can learn to perform miracles. We are cautioned that Satan also does miracles. In 2 Thessalonians 2:9, Paul speaks of miracles that the Apostle of Satan will perform ‘to deceive many’.

Role model

As we endeavour to find our way back to God, we shall need Jesus to be our teacher and role model. We find him in the life and teaching of his Church. St. Paul sets a plausible example: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.To know Christ is the passionate goal toward which we ought to set our own lives because Christ is what it’s all about.

To gain everything and not have Christ is to have nothing. To loose everything and gain Christ is to have everything!” (Philippians 3:10).

Paul gave up status, prestige, wealth, comfort, even family, because he considered that knowing Christ is the one thing of supreme value!

Remorse

Like the biblical “Prodigal son”, we should be sorry for our sins, seek a different kind of life, and have the motivation and determination to change. Our return home will cause all heaven to rejoice! (Luke 15:11-32).

Did you know?

The bible says:

Jesus cautions: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders so as to mislead if possible even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance,” - Matthew 24:24-25