5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 8, 2015
4 PM, 10 AM, 12 noon Liturgies
J.A. Loftus, S.J.
Today’s homily will introduce our very own Course in
Miracles. No, I am not referring to that course by Helen Schucman
that has now been translated into 23 languages and spread
discussion groups throughout the world. Ours in a more modest
project. It just concerns today’s healing miracle story in Mark’s
gospel and all the others miracle stories that will follow.
St. Mark’s Gospel is often called the gospel of miracles. There
are at least nineteen miracles in the early chapters. There are
three different categories of miracles in Mark’s gospel: exorcisms
(as we had in last week’s gospel passage), nature miracles (the
calming of a raging sea, the miraculous feeding of thousands, Jesus’
walking on the water), and regular healings (as in today’s story).
So, lots of miracles in Mark.
But as Ronald Wintherup, S.S., a well-known biblical
commentator says: “Preaching the miracle stories of the Gospels in
a rational age is not easy.” He is reminded of a wise adage
attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas: “To one who has faith, no
explanation is necessary. To one who has no faith, no explanation
is sufficient.” Miracles and faith go hand in hand.
Again following Wintherup’s commentary, in common
parlance, a miracle is just an unexplainable phenomenon outside
the normal range of human experience. It is supernatural or
transcendent. But in Mark’s gospel (as in Matthew and Luke’s
versions), miracles are called “deeds of power” (the Greek word
used is dynamis). They are always intimately related to Jesus’
authority, power, and teaching.
All the stories of Jesus’ “deeds of power” are finally and
intimately connected to the greatest miracle of all, the one that
takes place in Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the cross.
In Mark’s perspective, Jesus explicitly rejects the notion that
he is just another “miracle worker,” just another folk healer.
(There were many of those around Palestine in his time.) And
Jesus silences the demons who think they know he is the “Holy One
of God” (as in last Sunday’s gospel). They do not know him; they
are looking for a super-healer and super-miracle worker. That’s
not Jesus either. He doesn’t either need or want “fans.”
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The miracles are not about gathering a fan club, which is
exactly what happens in today’s gospel snippet. “Everybody is
looking for you,” Peter tells him. And “the whole town” was
seeking him. But Mark is steadfast; they are seeking only a fake
and faint Messiah. The real one will only be revealed at the end of
story.
In the end, a Roman Centurion at the cross reveals Mark’s
great “Messianic Secret”. At Jesus’ death the Centurion is the one
who says: “Truly this was the Son of God.” Miracles and faith
always go together.
“Miracles are stories of God’s power and ability to enter our
world in ways beyond our comprehension…. They are God’s
powerful teaching at work in Jesus Christ” (Winterup). So we
cannot avoid teaching about these miracles. But we can avoid
trying to find purely rationalistic explanations or purely fantastical
explanations for them. They are about God’s power in God’s
universe.
For Jesus most of the healing miracles (like in today’s story)
are about more than curing diseases. They are about a broader
notion of healing illness. They are about restoring people to their
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communities and families, or allowing them to be restored to their
larger purpose in life.
In he case of Simon’s mother-in-law there appears to be both
a cure and a more profound healing and restoration to the family
and community. The cure comes from his simple touch. The
healing comes when she immediately returns to her familial
service to them.
I’m sure you will remember either myself or other preachers
reminding you that Mark’s intent here is not to just present
another dishwasher back into the kitchen. The word Mark uses
(diakoinein) is the word used for service to the community (our
word Deacon comes from the same Greek root). Faith is always
intertwined with a miracle.
How often do you remember Jesus saying in the miracle
stories: “Your faith has saved you. Now go….” To the lepers in next
week’s gospel, he says: “Go. Show yourselves to the priests, “ and
return to the community which is Israel. The healing miracles
always return people to a community and to live-out their faith in
service.
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The theologian and storyteller, John Shea, summarizes it this
way: “The gospel path begins with cures and exorcisms,
restorations to physical and mental health. But these cures must
affect the minds and hearts of those cured and those witnessing the
cures. They are meant to be catalysts of personal transformation,
relating people in a new way to the love of God and the well-being
of their neighbor.”
So as we hear all the rest of the miracle stories, we needn’t
feel embarrassed by our terribly post-modern minds. Nor do we
need to dismiss them completely as skeptics might. We can find a
middle path to just be touched by the story and allow ourselves to
be re-directed on the path of love and service in our own time and
place.
That is finally the point of any miracle. And thus ends this
installment of our very own Course in Miracles. Hope it helps in
coming weeks. Peace!
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