Jesus was ambivalent about his miracles and healings. While they are signs of the in-breaking of God’s kingdom, they are not of primary importance. Being external and somewhat spectacular, signs and wonders can detract from the basic message of the Gospel. Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem was not “the magical mystery tour.” Rather, it is the road to salvation walked through the world.
As handed on in Mark’s Gospel, when he emerged after forty days from the desert, Jesus proclaimed: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”1 So, the Lord’s miracles are meant to demonstrate exteriorly the message each of us must take to heart. Besides, as Dostoevsky noted- “Faith does not, in the realist, spring from the miracle but the miracle from faith.”2
Our two readings fit nicely together (funny how the lectionary does that!). Any genuine disciple of Jesus understands that being a Christian does not guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen to you. As our reading from James indicates, quite to the contrary. Jesus puts it more succinctly in the Last Supper Discourse in Saint John’s Gospel: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”3
Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees, JamesTissot, 1886-1894
The beauty of our first reading is that it articulates the role that adversity plays in Christian life. Perseverance is a rare virtue these days. Yet, perseverance is the fruit of the fifth Sorrowful Mystery of Our Lady’s Holy Rosary, which mystery is crucifixion. The fourth sorrowful mystery is Jesus carrying the cross, the fruit of that mystery is patience.
When bad things happen to you, it is not because you’ve displeased God in some way and as a result, you’re experiencing divine wrath. Scripture turns this immature, warped, worldly, and faithless view on its head: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials.”4
To repent means to have a change of mind, a change of heart, to be converted. It can also mean turning around and walking in a different direction. You can’t follow Jesus walking with your head down, your hands in your pockets, dragging your feet. The day after tomorrow, as you receive the ashes, you will be called, as begin your forty days of preparation for Easter: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”5
1 Mark 1:15.↩
2 Fyodor Dostoevsky. The Brothers Karamazov, Part I, Book I, Chapter 5, “The Elders.”↩
3 John 16:33.↩
4 James 1:2.↩
5 Roman Missal. Ash Wednesday.↩
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