Εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος.
Διαβάζουμε συνεχῶς γιὰ τὰ θαύματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ στὸ Ἅγιο Εὐαγγέλιο, καὶ ἀναρωτιόμαστε: «γιατὶ τέτοια θαύματα γινόντουσαν ἐκεῖνες τὶς ἡμέρες, καὶ στὶς μέρες μας βλέπουμε τόσα λίγα;» Νομίζω ὅτι ὑπάρχουν τρεῖς πιθανὲς ἀπαντήσεις.
Ἡ πρώτη εἶναι ὅτι δὲν βλέπουμε τὰ θαύματα ποὺ συμβαίνουν γύρω μας, θεωροῦμε τὰ πάντα δεδομένα, ἐντελῶς φυσικά. Παίρνουμε τὰ καλὰ ἀπὸ τὰ χέρια τοῦ Θεοῦ σὰν κάτι φυσιολογικὸ, καὶ δὲν βλέπουμε πλέον ὅτι ἡ ζωή εἶναι ἕνα θαυμάσιο, γεμάτο χαρὰ θαῦμα, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἤθελε νὰ μᾶς δημιουργήσει, ὅτι μᾶς δημιούργησε ἀπὸ τὸ μηδὲν, ἅπλωσε μπροστά μας ὁλάκερο τὸ μυστήριο τῆς ὕπαρξης, δὲν κλείστηκε μέσα σ’ αὐτό. Μᾶς κάλεσε νὰ γίνουμε γιὰ πάντα φίλοι Του, νὰ ζήσουμε γιὰ πάντα τὴν αἰώνια, θεϊκὴ ζωή. Μᾶς ἀποκάλυψε τὸν Ἑαυτό Του· γνωρίζουμε ὅτι εἶναι Ἐκεῖνος, Τὸν γνωρίζουμε διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὅπως τὸν Θεὸ τοῦ ὁποίου ἡ ἀγάπη δὲν κλονίστηκε οὔτε στὴν θέα τοῦ θανάτου Του γιὰ νὰ σώσει ἐκείνους ποὺ ἀγαπᾶ. Καὶ τὶ νὰ πεῖ κανεὶς γιὰ ἐκεῖνα τὰ θαύματα ποὺ εἶναι ἀκόμα πιὸ λίγο φανερὰ σ’ ἐμᾶς, ὅπως ἡ ὑγεία, ἡ εἰρήνη, ἡ φιλία, ἡ ἀγάπη; Εἶναι ὅλα γνήσια θαύματα – δὲν μπορεῖς νὰ τ’ἀγοράσεις, δὲν μπορεῖς νὰ βιάσεις κάποιον νὰ σοῦ δώσει τὴν καρδιά του· κι ὅμως γύρω μας ὑπάρχουν τόσες καρδιὲς ποὺ εἶναι ἀνοιχτὲς ἡ μία πρὸς τὴν ἄλλη, ὑπάρχει τόση φιλία, ἀγάπη. Καὶ ἡ ὕπαρξη μας ποὺ θεωροῦμε τόσο δεδομένη, δὲν εἶναι ἕνα θαῦμα;
Αὐτὸ εἶναι τὸ πρῶτο σημεῖο ποὺ ἤθελα νὰ θίξω: ὅτι ὁλάκερη ἡ ζωή εἶναι ἕνα θαῦμα. Γνωρίζω, φυσικά, ὅτι ὑπάρχει τόσος πολὺς πόνος καὶ τρόμος σ’αὐτό, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἴδια στιγμὴ ἕνα ἥσυχο, ἀδιατάρακτο φῶς λάμπει στὸ σκοτάδι: ἄν μοναχὰ μπορούσαμε νὰ πιστέψουμε στὸ φῶς, καὶ ἔτσι νὰ γίνουμε παιδιὰ τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ καθὼς λέει ὁ Χριστὸς, νὰ γίνουμε ἄγγελοι φωτός;
Ὑπάρχουν δύο ἀκόμα παρατηρήσεις ποὺ θὰ ἤθελα νὰ κάνω. Σήμερα διαβάζουμε ὅτι οἱ ἄνθρωποι βρίσκονταν σὲ ἀνάγκη, ὅτι οἱ ἀπόστολοι πρόσεξαν τὴν ἀνάγκη τους καὶ εἶπαν στὸν Κύριο: «Ἀπὸ σένα ἐξαρτᾶται νὰ ἀνακουφίσεις τὴν ἀνάγκη τους, νὰ ταϊσεις αὐτοὺς τοὺς πεινασμένους ἀνθρώπους». «Πῶς;» εἶπαν: « Ἔχουμε μόνο δύο ψάρια καὶ πέντε ψωμιά, εἶναι δυνατὸν νὰ φτάσουν γιὰ ἕνα τέτοιο πλῆθος;» Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς εὐλόγησε ἐκεῖνα τὰ ψάρια καὶ τὰ ψωμιὰ καὶ ἔφτασαν γιὰ ὅλους.
Ἄρα, τὶ περιμένει ἀπὸ ἐμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς γιὰ νὰ μπορεῖ ἐλεύθερα, μὲ τὴν κυρίαρχη δύναμή Του, νὰ κάνει οὐράνια θαύματα στὴ γῆ; Πρῶτα, θὰ πρέπει νὰ δώσουμε προσοχὴ στὴν ἀνάγκη τοῦ ἄλλου ἀνθρώπου. Τόσο συχνὰ τὴν προσπερνᾶμε καὶ δὲν ἀνοίγουμε τὴν πόρτα στὸν Θεὸ γιὰ νὰ Τοῦ ἐπιτρέψουμε νὰ μπεῖ καὶ νὰ κάνει αὐτὸ ποὺ εἶναι ἀδύνατο σ’ἐμᾶς νὰ κάνουμε. Ἄς ἀνοίξουμε τὰ μάτια μας γιὰ νὰ δοῦμε τὶς ἀνάγκες τῶν ἀνθρώπων γύρω μας – ἀνάγκες ὑλικές, ψυχολογικές, πνευματικές, τὴν μοναξιὰ καὶ τὴν προσμονὴ κι ἀναρίθμητες ἄλλες.
Καὶ κάτι ἄλλο ποὺ ὁ Κύριος προτρέπει τοὺς μαθητές Του εἶναι, « δῶστε τὰ πάντα, καὶ θὰ τοὺς θρέψουμε ὅλους». Οἱ μαθητὲς δὲν ἄφησαν στὴν ἄκρη λίγο ψάρι καὶ λίγο ψωμὶ γιὰ τοὺς ἴδιους, τὰ ἔδωσαν ὅλα στὸν Κύριο. Κι ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἔδωσαν ὅλα, ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ Βασιλεία τῆς ἀγάπης ὅπου ὁ Θεὸς μπορεῖ νὰ ἐνεργεῖ ἐλεύθερα καὶ δίχως ἐμπόδια κυριάρχησε καὶ ὅλοι ἦταν εὐτυχισμένοι. Αὐτὸ τὸ κάλεσμα ἀπευθύνεται καὶ σ’ ἐμᾶς: ὅταν βλέπουμε νὰ ὑπάρχει ἀνάγκη, ἄς τὰ δίνουμε ὅλα, καὶ θὰ εἴμαστε πλῆροις.
Τώρα θὰ ἤθελα νὰ κάνω μιὰ τελευταία παρατήρηση: ὅταν ὁ παραλυτικὸς γιὰ τὸν ὁποῖο διαβάσαμε πρὶν μερικὲς ἑβδομάδες μεταφέρθηκε στὸν Κύριο, Ἐκεῖνος εἶδε τὴν πίστη τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ θεράπευσε τὸν ἄρρωστο ἄνδρα. Μποροῦμε νὰ ἐνδυναμώνουμε τὴν πίστη ποὺ λείπει ἀπὸ τοὺς γύρω μας, μποροῦμε νὰ τοὺς βαστάζουμε καὶ ἡ πίστη μας νὰ γίνει γι’ αὐτοὺς τὸ κρεβάτι ποὺ μετέφερε τὸν παραλυτικό. Ἀλλὰ ἡ πίστη δὲν ἀρκεῖ· στὴν περίπτωση τοῦ παραλυτικοῦ δὲν μπόρεσε νὰ τὸν θεραπεύσει ὁ Κύριος λόγω μόνο τῆς πίστης του, ἀλλὰ ὑπῆρχε μιὰ στοργικὴ ἀγάπη γιὰ τὸν ἀσθενῆ. Ἄν ὑπῆρχε τέτοια ἀγάπη μεταξύ μας θὰ εἶχε ἤδη ἐγκαθιδρυθεῖ ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ θὰ μποροῦσε νὰ ἐνεργεῖ ἐλεύθερα.
Ἄς τὸ λάβουμε ὑπ’ὄψιν μας γιὰ κάθε ἕνα ἀπὸ τὰ θαύματα τοῦ Θεοῦ ποὺ γίνονται μὲ τὴ μεσολάβηση τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Ἐξαρτᾶται ἀπὸ ἐμᾶς νὰ ἔλθει στὴ γῆ ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ γιὰ τὴν ὁποία προσευχόμαστε καὶ ἀδημονοῦμε, αὐτὴ ἡ Βασιλεία ποὺ καλούμαστε νὰ οἰκοδομήσουμε μαζὶ μὲ τὸν Θεὸ καὶ στὸ δικὸΤου ὄνομα. Ἀμήν.
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Πρωτότυπο κείμενο
THE MIRACULOUS FEEDING
20 July 1980
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
We constantly read about Christ\’s miracles in the Holy Gospels, and we ask ourselves, \”why is it that such things were possible in those days, and yet we see so few miracles in our own day?\” I think there are three possible answers.
The first is that we do not see the miracles that surround us, we take everything for granted, as completely natural. We receive all the good things from the hand of God as though they were normal, and we no longer see that life is a wonderful, joyful miracle, that God wanted to create us, that He called us from non-being into being, laid open before us the whole miracle of existence. Nor did He confine Himself to this. He called us to be His friends for ever, everlastingly to live the eternal, divine life. He revealed Himself to us; we know that He is, we know Him in Christ as the God whose love did not falter even in the face of His own death which was to save those He loves. And what about those miracles that are even less obvious to us, like health, like peace, like friendship, like love? They are all pure miracles — you cannot buy them, you cannot force anyone to give you his heart; and yet all around us there are so many hearts open to each other, so much friendship, so much love. And our physical existence which we consider so natural — is not that a miracle?
That is the first point that I wanted to make: that the whole of life is a miracle. I know, of course, that there is much, very much pain and horror in it, but at the same time such a quiet yet unwavering light shines in the darkness: if only we could believe in the light, and so become children of light, as Christ says, the bearers of light?
There are two more remarks I should like to make. Today we read that the people were in need, that the apostles noticed this need and spoke to the Lord about it. And the Lord said: \”It is up to you to relieve this need, to feed these hungry people\”. \”How?\” they said, \”we have only two fishes and five loaves, can that possibly be enough for such a crowd?\” And Christ blessed those fish and those loaves and it was enough for the crowd.
So what is expected of us in order that God can freely, by His sovereign power, perform heavenly miracles on earth? First, that we should notice someone else\’s need. So often we pass by it and do not open the door to God to allow Him to enter and do that which it is impossible for us to do. Let us open our eyes in order to see the needs of the people around us — material, psychological, spiritual; the loneliness and longing and countless other needs.
And another thing that the Lord urges upon His disciples is, \”give everything that you have, and we shall be able to feed them all.\” The disciples did not leave aside some fish and some bread for themselves, they gave it all to the Lord. And because they gave everything, the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of love, the kingdom where God can act freely and untrammelled, was established and all were satisfied. This call is addressed to us also: when we see want, let us give all, and all will be well.
Now a final remark: when the paralytic about whom we read a few weeks ago was brought to Christ He saw the people\’s faith and cured the sick man. We can supply the faith that is lacking in those around us, we can carry them on our faith as on a stretcher. But faith is not enough; in the case of the paralytic there was not only the faith that the Lord could heal him, but there was caring love for the sick man. If only there were such love amongst us the beginning of the Kingdom of God would already be established in our midst, and God could act freely.
Let us consider this, for every one of God\’s miracles was introduced, and so to speak conditioned, by the participation of man. It depends on us that the Kingdom which we pray and long for should be established on earth, that Kingdom which we are called on to build together with God and in His name. Amen.