Jesus never performed miracles, or “signs” as they are described in the Gospel of John, for the sake of it. They always resulted from, and strengthened peoples’ faith. Take, for example, Mary’s faith in her son at Cana, the centurion’s faith that Jesus could heal his daughter without entering under his roof, the woman who believed she needed to only touch Jesus’ cloak in order to be healed of a haemorrhage, or Martha and Mary’s faith in Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.
In addition, Jesus’ miracles always served a purpose beyond the acts themselves – to reveal the glory of God. They tore through the darkness of suffering, inequality, discrimination and evil to bring light and announce the coming of a new reign. This would be a reign of love, justice and peace.
The work of bringing this reign to its fullness, however, is yet to be completed. The many examples we have brought to mind recently – addiction, exploitation, prejudice, ignorance, violence, discrimination, unhealthy relationships and self-image, and abuse – remind us that there is still the potential for darkness and evil to reign in our world.
When Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to ask that God’s kingdom come, and that God’s will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. At the end of Mass, each of us is called to “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” As people of faith and dwelling places of the Holy Spirit, our task, in even our smallest words and actions, is to show those we encounter that we will not let death and darkness overcome.
Through the raising of Lazarus, we see the glory of God. Do our lives reveal the glory of God to others?
Published in our parish bulletin, Carmel, 26 March 2023
Photo: Georgia National Guard on Wikimedia Commons. BY 2.0
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