Miracles of God’s Love

It is nice to be back again after more than a month’s absence. My previous month has indeed been full because of retreat, seminars and meetings. But they were really fruitful days, just the necessary break that I needed to lead me to celebrate Easter more meaningfully.

The eight-day retreat was a welcome respite from the worries and stresses that everyday living brings. It was really a grace to be able to go away to a place of quiet to reflect about my life, my relationship with God and others.

As a matter of fact, it is one important event in my religious life that I really look forward to with anticipation each year. Like going home, the retreat gives me a feeling of rest, abandonment, a sense of quiet, a time in my life when I totally shut out of my mind responsibilities, worries, and leave everything in the hands of God. It is also the time for me when I get the chance to rise up early to bask in the beauty of the rising sun, wonder at the glassy appearance of dew spread over the grassy lawn and marvel at how efficiently a caterpillar feeds on green leaves. Little miracles of God’s love that are often left ignored in our daily life. The reflective atmosphere of a retreat indeed gives me the chance to take notice of these things, and be grateful to God who continuously work his miracle of love in our lives.

Speaking of miracles, there is a movie in town entitled Simon Birch, a little miracle. A little miracle indeed, for Simon was recorded as the smallest baby ever delivered in their small town hospital. The doctors declared he would never last the night. But he did. The night turned into days and weeks and months and years. Simon lived as abnormally short for his age. But he never let his handicap hamper his zest for life. Simon believes that God has a plan for him and his existence on earth is not an accident. In fact, he tells his best friend Joe, that there are no such things as accidents or anything that happens by chance. Simon believes that everything happens according to the plan of God. The important elements of the film are not on production values but on the message it conveys. Simon in the story can teach us a lot about faith, love and friendship.

Our daily existence is full of ordinary and extraordinary events that are miracles by themselves. What we need to acknowledge these miracles happening in our lives are eyes of faith just like Simon’s. John Campoli, author of And the Miracle is... says that “God has a miracle in each and everyone of us; all we have to do is reach out and claim that miracle, take it and make it our own.”