TESTIMONY

What is a miracle? It is God suspending natural law for God’s purposes. The Hebrew, Christian and Muslim faiths abound with miracle stories. Sarah bearing children in her old age, Elijah being taken up into heaven, Isaiah bringing a child back to life, the conception of Jesus, splitting the moon, the sun standing still, and of course for Christians, the Resurrection. The other world faiths also have miracle stories.

But what do we see as miracles now? Pope John Paul II has just had the healing of a French Nun of her Parkinson’s disease listed so he has been beatified. This is a medical miracle and can be measured, judged and verified. Many miracles pertaining to Christian saints pertain to medical cures. That spontaneous remission is considered a miracle is the source of many debates among us.

For me, in the hospital and nursing home and prison setting, I see miracles in how God changes individuals in their outlooks, their hopes, and their world views. God changes people much more often than God changes weather or microbes or cancer cells. It has become my honor, not to be the preacher who heals the lame on TV nor the prophet who touches a child and cures her cleft palate. I have been blessed to see an angry old woman, hurting those around her out of her own pain, realize that her daughter needs her love, and decide to send her a Christmas card apologizing for being spiteful. It is a holy moment when the dementia patient who has struck out in frustration and terror has a flash of peace, and looks for a chair to sit in and look out the window. It is beautiful when a son comes to sit by his mother’s ICU bed and feels safe and strong enough to tell her he is sorry and ask for her forgiveness.

These are what I call miracles of the soul; miracles where God has given us a moment of “the Peace that passes understanding.” These moments give us an awareness of God’s loving presence in our lives, in our distress and pain. I often pray that the person I am with can feel God’s arm around her shoulder, hear God’s whispered “I love you” in his ear.

When I am called to testify to God’s power and presence, that is where my heart goes. It goes to those little miracles of God overcoming pain, fearfulness, pride, resentment and anger to let us feel God’s love and let us love one another when we need it most.