The Missing Miracle

Seeing the miracle of the Resurrection in the faith of Christians

John 20:1-9

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark,  and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.

When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

           Today we celebrate the central mystery of our Christian faith, namely, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In his Easter homily, Bishop Robert Barron said: “Jesus’ resurrection is the be-all and end-all of the Christian faith. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, all of us bishops and priests should go home and get honest jobs.” I personally am glad Jesus rose from the dead because I have a job where I only work one day a week on Sundays! Thanks for the cool job, Jesus! St. Paul said something similar to the Corinthians: “If Christ has not been raised from the dead…we are the most pitiable of men” (1 Cor. 15: 17, 19). In other words, all Christianity depends on the resurrection; without it, the whole Christian enterprise would have all been a huge hoax perpetrated for two thousand years. I’ll never forget a Scripture professor in the seminary who dared to declare: “If they find the bones of Jesus and prove that he never rose from the dead, I’m going to find the first beautiful blonde I can and move to the Bahamas!” Don’t worry, all you beautiful blondes are safe from Scripture professors because of Jesus’ resurrection. But our faith really revolves around the resurrection; it is the be-all and end-all of Christianity.

          But here’s the remarkable thing about the resurrection: no one actually saw it happen. Do you realize that? The moment of the resurrection was entirely secret, hidden from all humanity; there are no eye-witnesses to it. The resurrection is the great missing miracle of our faith. People saw the multiplication of the loaves, they saw the water change into wine, they saw Lazarus rise from the dead. But no one saw the miracle of Jesus breaking the bonds of sin and death and bursting forth into life. They only saw him after the fact. Instead, what we do see is the miracle of faith: people who believe without seeing.

          In the gospel today, we see the first link in that chain of believers that stretches down the centuries, namely, Mary Magdalene. In fact, she is called “the Apostle to the Apostles” precisely because she was the first to declare that Jesus was no longer dead, but risen. Because of her faith, the apostles believed, and because of their faith, the rest of the world believed. You see, at the heart of our faith is a missing miracle; the only miracles we usually see is the faith of the Christians around us.

          Two little brothers were terrible trouble makers. They were always breaking things, stealing things, lying, and making all kinds of general trouble. The parents tried everything to get the boys to change, all to no avail. Finally, they asked their pastor if he could help. He said he would talk to the boys, but only one at a time. The parents dropped off the youngest with the pastor. The boy sat in a chair across from the pastor's desk and they just looked at each other. Finally, the Pastor said, "Where is God?" The boy just sat there and didn’t answer. The pastor began to look sternly and said more loudly, "Where is God?" The little boy shifted in his seat, but still didn’t answer. The pastor started to get angry at the boy's refusal to talk and so practically shouted "Where is God?" To the pastor's surprise, the little boy jumped up out of his chair and ran out of the office, ran through the church all the way home, up the stairs and into his brother's room. He slammed the door and panted, "We're in BIG TROUBLE this time. God's missing and they think we did it!" All kidding aside, sometimes it does feels like God is missing, and his miracles are missing. Haven’t you ever felt like crying out loud, “Where is God?! Have you ever thought: “Just let me see one miracle and I will believe!!”? Don’t worry, I have felt that way, too.

          You know, even though I haven’t seen too many miracles – at least not the kind of miracles you see in the movies – I have seen miracles of faith, especially in our parishioners. For example, as I look around this church I am inspired by the faith of widows and widowers facing their first Easter without their spouse; but they believe in the resurrection of Rosie Ciulla, John Anthony Williams, Eleanor Riser and David McMahon. Their faith is a miracle to me. I see single moms and single dads raising their families on their own, but without a partner to share the burdens and blessings with. Their faith is a miracle. I am humbled by immigrants who work long, laborious jobs just to make ends meet, constantly under the threat of being deported. Isn’t that kind of faith miraculous? I marvel at teens facing an unexpected pregnancy and who choose life, but also at teens who have not chosen life, but have learned how precious life is. They’ve see the miracle called “human life.” I am astonished by young men who want to be priests and not want to run off with the first beautiful blonde they see. There’s a miracle for you! I am in awe of priests who travel half way around the world, learn a new language, and eat fried catfish, collard greens and grits, in order to serve strangers. I see a miracle of faith in the 32 people who will become Catholic this Easter here at Immaculate Conception, overcoming obstacles and facing criticism because they’re following the Risen Jesus. You know, I don’t need to see the miracle of the Resurrection because every day I see the miracles of your faith, and that tells me that our Lord is alive.

          Listen to this profound prayer by John Henry Newman: “God has created me to do Him some definite service: he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told of it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good. I shall do his work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep his commandments. Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am. I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about. He may take away my friends; he may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, he knows what he is about.” Folks, the next time you ask, “Where is God?? Where are the miracles??” may I suggest you look a little closer at the Christian sitting next to you.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!