天主不信神跡 God Does Not Believe In Miracles

天主不信神跡 God Does Not Believe In Miracles（若6:22-29）

很多人高估了神跡的效力，以為施行神跡，便可以解決一切問題，包括經濟、政治、安全和信仰等等。君不見天主分開紅海，讓以色列人安然到達彼岸；在曠野四十年降下「瑪納」，解決了六十萬選民的食用問題；三位猶太青年，拒絕叩拜拿步高王的金像而被投入烈火窯中，天主派遣天使護守他們（達3:49）等等；聖經記載的神跡，就是給讀者一個威力無窮，排除萬難的印象！不是嗎？到了山窮水盡的時候，你祇要向天主呼號，祂必定會出手拯救。但耶穌在今天的福音，否定了這一個立場！

耶穌基督看見群眾有如沒有牧者的羊群，出於憐憫（谷6:34），並且為了顯示自己是來應驗先知有關於默西亞的預言（瑪5:17），便行了一個增餅的神跡，解決了全體群眾生理上的需要。可是，有多少人因此而明白神跡是天主臨現的標記，是與天主相遇的恩寵時刻呢？耶穌看透來尋找祂的群眾的心意，便說了這句：「你們尋找我，並不是因為看到了神跡，而是因為吃餅吃飽了」（若6:26）；他們並不是來尋找天主，而是希望找到一個讓他們衣食無憂的「米飯班主」！無疑，神跡解決了他們目前的問題；可惜他們短視，看不見這個神跡所指向的慈悲天主，並沒有提昇他們對永生的渴求，沒有增加他們的信德！

天主是自由，所以祂素來尊重人的自主，從來不強迫我們相信祂。因此，天主不相信神跡可以增加人類對祂的信德。雖然天主出於慈悲，施行神跡解決我們的困難，但祂並不強求我們因此而相信祂對我們的慈愛。

朋友，不要再要求耶穌立刻顯現在你面前，展示祂的傷痕，證明祂確實復活了，然後纔相信祂！且看在教難時，那些在鬥獸場上，面對痛苦地死去的殉道者，他們沒有嘗試祈求耶穌基督立刻顯現在一群惡犬餓獅之中，免他們被利齒撕裂的凶惡嗎？結果呢？
天主保祐！
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：cardinaljohnhenrynewman.com

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Many people overestimate the effectiveness of miracles, thinking that they are able to solve all sorts of problems, namely economic, political, security and faith etc. Don’t you see how God split the Red Sea so that the Israelites were able to reach the other shore safely; rained down manna in the wilderness for forty years to feed 600,000 mouths? Three Jewish youths who refused to worship the golden statue which King Nebuchadnezzar set up were thrown into a white-hot furnace. Hadn’t God send an angel to protect them (Daniel 3:49)? The miracles narrated in the Bible give readers an impression of solving problems mightily! When all means are exhausted, just call upon God and He will definitely save. But in the gospel passage today, Jesus refuted this position!

When Jesus saw the crowd like sheep without a shepherd, out of compassion (Mark 6:34), and to reveal them that He came to fulfil Messianic prophecies (Matthew 5:17), He worked this multiplication of loaves miracle to meet the physiological needs of the crowd. But how many of them understood that the miracle was a sign of God’s presence, a moment of grace to encounter God? Jesus read their minds and said, “You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). They did not come to look for God, but hoped to follow a boss who could feed them forever! The miracle had indeed solved their immediate problem but regrettably they were myopic. They did not see the merciful God to whom the miracle pointed. The miracle had not raised their hunger for eternal life and failed to increase their faith!

God is free. Thus He always respects the autonomy of humanity and has never forced us to believe in Him. Thus God doesn’t believe that miracles are able to increase our faith in Him. Although God works miracles to solve our problems out of mercy, He does not demand us to believe in His love consequently.

Friends! Don’t demand Jesus to appear before you, to show you His wounds to prove that He is truly risen in order to believe in Him! Take a look at the ages of persecutions. In the arena, didn’t martyrs who anticipated deaths in excruciating pains try to pray to Jesus Christ, asking Him to appear immediately among bull-dogs and hungry lions to deliver them from the evil of being torn apart? And in the end?
God bless!