People today tend to view reports of miracles with suspicion because our rational minds want to believe that everything has a scientific explanation. People in Jesus’ time, however, were more concerned about what the miracles revealed than the miracles themselves or even the miracle worker. In fact, Jesus’ healing miracles (for example. Luke 4, 38-44, where we encounter the healing of St. Peter’s mother-in-law) were not taken as proof of His divinity so much, only that He worked by the power of God. The common response to Jesus’ healings was “God is at work here!”
In healing people of their illnesses and infirmities, Jesus was also revealing that the Kingdom of God is a place where suffering and evil are banished and all are welcome, especially those on the margins and the outcasts. The bottom line is this: whether miracles are easily explained or beyond reasonable explanation does not matter. What matters is that they make us aware of God’s loving presence in our lives and they are signs that He is at work.
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For further reflection: The healing work of Jesus is ours to continue today. We who are God’s sons and daughters (through Baptism) are called to be patient with one another, to be understanding, and to be forgiving. When we act with virtue in these ways, the healing presence and grace of the Lord are powerfully present in and through us. We can say with confidence: “God is (still) at work here!”
