Miracles are wonderful deeds

From the Desk of Father David

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

             How would you define the word miracle?  I am reading a thought provoking book called Healings: Bringing the Gift of God’s Mercy to the World by Mary Healy.  Dr. Mary Healy is an associate professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.  In her book she talks about the different understandings of miracles.  The modern view of miracles is that they always involve the breaking of the laws of nature.  But Scripture and tradition have a broader view: A miracle is a wonderful deed by which God makes His power manifested. In fact, the Greek word for miracles, dynameis, simply means deeds of power.  The definition in Webster’s Dictionary expresses this traditional understanding: A miracle is ‘an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.’

These traditional understandings remind us that not all miracles are the breaking of the laws of nature and when we look with the eyes of faith we can see miracles happening all around us.  Jesus is Emmanuel, the God who is with us.  A woman shared with me her healing story.  At a Mass in honor of St. Peregrine she was healed not dramatically.   At the Mass she knew she needed to switch doctors and go in an entirely new direction.  She is now cancer free.  She definitely believes it was because of God’s intervention during the Mass that she is now healed.  This week ask God to help you see the miracles He is doing in your life and that of others.  You might want to pray the Morning Prayer to The Holy Spirit found in today’s bulletin.

May the God surround you with Divine love and surprise you with special blessings.

                      Healings and peace,

Fr. David

Morning Prayer To The Holy Spirit

0 Holy and astounding Spirit,
You catch me by surprise at least once a day
with the freshness of your love
and the unpredictability of your presence—
especially in humble things
that somehow give me immense joy.
Some moments are completely now, full of joy
as uplifting as the dawning sun,
and those moments come from you, day by day.
Stand behind me today when I’m right
and ought to be more determined,
and block my way when I‘m being
unreasonable and ought to back off.
Teach me true compassion for those in need,
so I can be of genuine help to someone.
Bless me, today, Holy Spirit, and astound me again. Amen