Signs and Faith

Today the Church commemorates another miracle of God in Jerusalem. In the year 351AD, a giant cross of light appeared in the sky over the city for the entire city to witness. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, whom we also commemorate today, wrote of this sign to the Emperor, saying the sign had been “seen not by one or two only, but manifested with perfect clarity to the whole multitude of the city.” My question is, why don’t more people believe after such miracles?

The Holy Scriptures are filled with stories of such miracles. In today’s Gospel lesson we hear of people clamoring around Christ because of signs, yet many ultimately turned away from Him at His Passion when faith mattered. Take a moment and read today’s reading.

At that time, when the people saw the sign which Jesus had done, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, entered a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea rose because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, but he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. However, boats from Tiberias came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves entered the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” – John 6.14-27

There, we have our answer. “You seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” Humanity is in a constant struggle against our passions ever since our first ancestors fell in the Garden, but that does not mean we cannot be different. We are not obligated to love God only when our stomachs are filled with miracles.

Over the centuries, thousands of faithful Christians have believed and fallen away, and many have fallen away and come back. The Christian journey isn’t always about getting it right, but be committed to the journey. When Saint Cyril saw the sign of the Cross in the sky, it reached from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives. The Cross, Golgotha, and the Mount are all places of struggle for our Lord, but the Light conquered all struggle even conquering death itself. So, why do we still not have faith enough to live like we ‘say’ we believe?

Again, I believe Christ (as always) gives us the answer. “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8.34) We cannot, and most likely will not, follow Christ with total faith until we have willingly given up our passions. That means, practically speaking, that we must stop waiting for our stomachs to be filled with miracles before we believe. We must stop seeing God as ‘an ATM in the sky’ or ‘Santa Claus’ every time we want something.

Signs for our faith, but faith doesn’t require signs. Innumerable faithful have seen His Cross in the sky above Jerusalem, and felt His love in their hearts as they were offering their lives for Him. If we cannot see the signs ourselves, let us at least believe the witness of the Church which not only has seen the signs, but has bore witness to them for centuries. Have faith and stop looking for signs around every corner. Just read your Church history and you will learn of countless signs to build up your faith.