6th Sunday after Pentecost 30.6.13 God works through us
The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves (Gospel) reminds us that we can never rely purely on human solutions for the problems we face.
Yet the human component is essential for some miracles to take effect.
Our Lord could have made bread out of nothing but He chose to work from the small amount which human resources could provide. He also needed human help to distribute the bread once it had been produced. (Again He could have distributed it miraculously but chose to use human instruments.)
This, we could say, is His preferred method for working among us. He works among us by working through us.
He expects us to provide some sign of trust in Him, some spirit of co-operation. And if we do that His infinite power will come into play. But if not, very likely there will be no miracle.
The miracle will happen only if someone is on hand to trust in God, to obey His will.
If such people can be found there is no limit to what the power of God might do in our midst.
Think of Noah building an ark when there was no apparent threat of flood. Or Abraham told to sacrifice Isaac; or the apostles told to put out their nets when they had caught nothing all night.
Do whatever He tells you - like filling up large containers with water, and see the wine that comes in its place.
Some miracles take longer than others. They unfold over time, even a whole lifetime, or longer still.
The kingdom will grow like a seed turning into a tree. The survival and growth of the Church has been a long-term miracle. Despite human weakness, persecutions, internal division – we are still here!
But it does always need somebody out there to believe the word of God and act upon it.
That is where we come in. We are to facilitate the miraculous power of God. He has all the power but He needs people to do His bidding. He will then multiply our humble efforts and good fruit will emerge.
Why does He want our contribution when He does not really need it? From His point of view it is more important that we believe in Him than the particular outcome of the miracle.
He did not feed the thousands just to give them lunch, though He was attentive to every need. But it was more important to Him that people would come to faith through the miracle, and through their part in it. So He wills for us in our lives.
With this approach every day is a new adventure even if it looks the same as all the others. There is a myriad of possibilities for the power of God to be at work. If we are faithful, humble and expectant, we will be opening the way for miracles.
And this can be both the short-term miracles where present problems are solved, and the longer-term miracles where it might take years for the soil to be right for God’s intervention.
The Annunciation, for example, did not happen in a vacuum. Many things had gone into making Mary as ready as she was. ‘At the appointed time...’
We just ‘do whatever He tells us’. The less capable we feel the better, as it keeps us humble and leaves more scope for the power of God to work.
The miracle we really want is the same one as God wants: that a very large number of people will come to conversion and salvation, through belief in Him.
We declare to Him now that we are ready to co-operate in bringing on that miracle!
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