Little Miracles, Just for You

By Gerard van Honthorst - Google Art Project, Public Domain, Wiki Commons 

It can be very difficult to understand and accept the will of God in our lives. How could Mary have accepted what she was being asked to do if not for her great humility and faith - and the appearance of the Angel Gabriel? How could Joseph possibly have believed Mary’s explanation for her pregnancy if not for the angelic message received in a dream? But most of us don’t have the benefit of such miraculous appearances, whether in dreams or daylight!

But every once in a while, we are blessed with little signs of God’s presence. God chooses these moments for each of us, although He may wait until our hearts are ready to receive His gift. Although Jesus reminds us not to seek after signs, I think He knows our human hearts well enough to understand our need to sometimes see those little miracles that build up our hope and faith.

It’s easy to miss those miraculous moments. An atheistic friend of mine once told me about going to a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve with her mother. She was deeply moved by the concert of Christmas hymns before the Mass. As she listened, tears streamed down her face. Yet, she was not ready to recognize the source of her overwhelming emotion. She credited the moment to music’s power, not God’s. I hoped that this glimpse of God’s glory had opened her heart to believe, but her eyes remained firmly closed to His existence and His love for her.

This Christmas, take special notice of all the little miracles that are taking place around you. See the miracle in the manger: a little Child who seems so much like us, but is so miraculously God-with-us. Hear the miracle in the Christmas songs, see the miracle in the eyes of a newborn baby, touch the miracle in the melting cold of a snowflake on your fingertip. Don’t let these moments pass by unseen. God is sending a message to you alone; you are His Beloved.

“As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.” Is 62:5


Link to Complete Text of Readings for Christmas, 2017