Today we will speak on miracles... those we see with eyes and those we see without our eyes.

First, what is a miracle?  In a broad sense, a miracle is something which has no natural explanation and must, therefore, proceed from God.  Normally, the sun rises every day, and circles the sky in a certain and predictable manner; in 1917, at Fatima, the sun danced in the sky and zigged-zagged down to earth to the fright and consternation of 70,000 on-lookers.  The unusual sight of the dancing sun was a miracle which God used to authenticate Mary’s appearances there. 

In today’s Gospel we read of another miracle.  Our blessed Savior goes to a desert place with a great crowd in tow.   For three days He cures the lame, blind and deaf.  After three days He is ready to move on but fears that the crowds may faint in their return journey.  So He obtains seven loaves of bread, gives thanks, and breaks them, then hands them to His disciples who distribute them to 4000 hungry men.  Can seven loaves of bread feed 4000 hungry men?  No, of course not.  I would want one full loaf for myself!  The multiplication of seven loaves of bread which feeds 4000 men is a true miracle for it is naturally impossible to immediately produce, from a few loaves of bread, enough to satisfy thousands of hungry men.  Nor could such a miracle go unnoticed!  The disciples beheld it with their own eyes and the crowds heard it noised about.

Two thousand years ago, when Jesus walked this earth, He preached and performed all manner of wonders in order to authenticate the truth of His preaching.  These miracles, curing those blind or lame from birth, restoring health to the crippled by the simple words, “arise take thy mat and walk” and raising the stinky-dead Lazarus to life were all observed with human senses.  Since our Lord’s time, visible miracles still occur but most now are invisible; and they are greater miracles.  We now live in that dispensation spoken by our Lord to the Samaritan woman at the well when the Savior of the world told her, ‘the hour comes and is now when true adorers shall adore God in spirit and in truth’; and when He told His  apostles, “You wonder at My works, greater works will you do.”  Now we are made children of God by baptism, restored to spiritual life by confession, and God appears daily on our altars at Holy Mass.  These miracles we do not see happening with the senses of our flesh, no, but we see them by the operation of our faith.

I would like to dwell on one miracle that we see by faith: God appearing upon our altars.

Suppose that at every Holy Mass, every time Fr. Hathaway bent over to say the sacred words of consecration, “Hoc est enim Corpus meum” then elevated the sacred Host, the earth were to shake, lightning would flash from the Host, and peals of thunder would ripple throughout the church.   Ah, would we not believe then!  Would not such signs grip our attention and increase our reverence for the Thrice Holy God!  Would not some, with fear and trembling, run out of the church!   Moses obtained so radiant glow by his close communion with God that the Hebrew people could not look upon his face unless he wore a veil.  When Moses spoke with God, he took his veil off; when he spoke God’s message to the Hebrews he did so wearing a veil.  If our eyes beheld the divine radiance of our God in the holy Eucharist what would we do? 

 Suppose again that every time this priest, after reciting the ancient words of consecration which change the substance of wine into our Lord’s very own Precious Blood,  “His est enim Calix Sanguinis mei,...” then raised the sacred Chalice, again, earthquake, lightning, and thunder would converge in fearful symphony!

If such signs and wonders, visible proofs to authentic invisible realities, were to happen surely then all the sane world be Catholic! ... and how few then would sacrilegious communions be!

When King David was processing with the ark of the covenant from the house Abinadab to Jerusalem, at one point it looked as if it might fall from its new cart.   The man appointed to walk beside the ark, Oza, rashly grabbed the ark to steady it for which cause God became angry and “struck him for his rashness”and Oza died.  Oh, if we knew what holiness is placed on our tongues!  Seeing this wonder, David, became fearful and placed the ark in the house of Obededom, where for 3 months it was the cause of much blessing to Obededom.  Wanting this blessing for himself, King David returned for the ark but this time processed with much greater fanfare, sacrificing an oxen and ram to God at every seventh pace.  (II Kg 6)

Indeed, if lightning struck so many modern day Ozas (viz. pro-abortion politicians) who receive communion unworthily would not greater reverence be given our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?

But again, if such wonders did happen our faith would be meaningless, nor could we merit by acts of faith. 

The multiplication of loaves and fishes was a visible sign indicating our Lord’s invisible divinity.  It was meant to nurture Faith and prepare for a time when mankind would worship His God not by senses of flesh but “in spirit and in truth”, believing without seeing signs and wonders.   Signs and wonders are milk for children; faith is meat for spiritual grown-ups.

Indeed, God could have ordained that some miraculous sign coincided with His presence on our altars. This involves no contradiction, but outside a few Eucharistic miracles this is not the case.  Generally, at every holy Mass when bread becomes the substance of our God, all we hear are three chimes of a small bell; all we see is what before looked like bread still looks like bread.

And although we sense no miracle at holy Mass with our eyes or ears, when the priest elevates the consecrated Host and the consecrated Chalice we know by faith Who is there... our divine Lord and our God.  And by faith we “see” and “hear” a new creation and the praise of angels.

At every holy Mass may we never forget that there is a true and awesome miracle happening; much greater than feeding 4000 hungry men with seven loaves of bread.  God is appearing on our altars.  That is why, at every holy Mass, when the priest raises the sacred Host and Chalice, the Church instructs us to repeat those words of St. Thomas, “My Lord and My God.”  This act of faith is pleasing to Almighty God and is worthy of a great reward.  By this act of faith we receive an increase of divine faith on earth, an increase of eventual glory in heaven, and become the holy envy of the saints in heaven who can no-longer merit from any act of faith in miracles.