We hear in this morning’s readings about two very different reactions to miracles. In the book of Acts, we heard how St. Paul and Silas drove out a demon from an oracle, who was well known for telling the fortunes, and making her masters a lot of money. Rather than rejoicing at the sight of this great miracle, the masters (who had filled their hearts with greed and anger), threw the two Saints into prison, and put a jailor in charge of keeping them secure. That night, while they were praying, there was an earthquake. All of the prisoners, including Paul and Silas were set free of their bonds.
The jailor, after seeing this miracle, was completely undone, and asked those beautiful words: “What must I do to be saved.” We read that during that very night, this man and all of his household underwent a Divine Transformation, as they all put on Christ through the Holy Waters of Baptism.
One miracle, being witnessed by someone with a tender heart, turned into a life surrounded with God’s Glory!
The Gospel on this last Sunday of Pascha also shows us an example of two very different reactions to a miracle, when the Creator of Heaven and Earth, Jesus Christ Himself, comes to heal and transform the life of a man who had been born blind.
We sang in the Great Vespers on Saturday night a special hymn that sets the scene for us. It is sung in the 1stperson of the blind man who was asking these questions to himself:
“Was I born without eyes because of the sins of my parents? Was I born to be an example because of the unbelief of the nations? I cannot stop asking “When is it night or when is it day”. My feet cannot endure striking against the stones. I have not seen the sun shinning, or beheld the image of Him who fashioned me…But I beseech Thee, O Lord, look upon me and have mercy on me!”
Normally, Jesus would heal with just a word. When he healed the paralytic, He simply said: “Take up your pallet and walk!” But in this instance, Jesus does something that is quite beautiful! Just as He did when He created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God once again took the dust from the earth, and fashioned new eyes for this man!
To the Pharisees whose hearts were hardened, who cared more about their prominence in society rather than the Truth that was staring them in the face, this miracle was insulting! No matter how many miracles they had seen Jesus perform in Jerusalem, they were determined not to believe, ironically proving them to be more blind than the man who was born blind!
To the soul whose eyes were physically opened, who saw Light and Life for the first time. this simple man of faith responded to our Savior by professing “Lord, I believe.” His life was transformed by Christ, just like the jailor in the Book of Acts.
How can there be such a vast difference in mankind’s attitude towards miracles? How can one person see a miracle and immediately recognize Christ, while others ignore what their eyes see, chalking it up to a mere coincidence? The answer lies in the heart!
The heart for an Orthodox Christian isn’t just a physical organ. It also acts as the supernatural center of the human person, because it is in the heart that the Grace of God resides.
St. John Cassian in His work “The Conferences” once said: “The goal for the Christian is the Kingdom of God, but our aim right now is for “purity of heart”…because without this, we can never accomplish the Kingdom.
One of the biggest challenges for us, especially now living in the scientific age of technology and all of the vast knowledge that we think we have obtained, is that there is a temptation to either ignore or forget the importance of the heart. We rely so much on our heads and our intellect to guide us through life, that we ignore, or simply do not see the presence of God that surrounds us. As Orthodox Christians, we have to remember that the heart is the place where God dwells within us.
The desert fathers say: …”the snails and crabs have their shells, foxes have their holes, birds have their nests, and we…have our hearts.” Learning to cultivate our hearts for God is the single more important thing that we can do in our lives, and it starts for us in the Divine Liturgy, when the Church tell us to turn off our minds (to lay aside all cares), to lift up our hearts, and give thanks unto the Lord!
St. John also offers some advice on what we need to do throughout the rest of the weeks as well: “Should it happen that for a short time, our thoughts wander off of this direct path….we have to bring them back once again, guiding our lives with reference to our purpose as the sure standard.”
In other words, if we forget about the Grace we received on Sunday, and our thoughts begin to wander, bring them back! Lifting up our hearts and remembering God in our lives should be a practice we have every day! On a sunshine filled day, after your morning prayers, take a moment to walk outside before you get into your cars to begin the day, take a deep breath, cross yourself, and say: “Glory to You O God who has shown us the light” of the sun!
In the evening, after your evening prayers, take a second to walk outside and to look up to the vastness of the infinite heavens. Behold the greatness of God who created it all, the same God who holds you in His care. Take a deep breath. Cross yourself. Give Glory to God, because it is He who created things beyond your comprehension, Who continues to hold you in His care.
We have to learn daily, not just in the Divine Liturgy, but daily to cultivate a heart of Grace. Only then will our eyes be truly opened, as was the blind man in the Gospel’s today!