Sometimes We Miss the Miracle

This past Sunday, I was sitting in Mass listening to the Gospel being read, and a line jumped out at me. A line I don’t remember hearing before, even though I had read/heard the story several times before. A line totally overlooked in the homily.

“So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.” (Mk 6:5)

For most people, Jesus healing a few people wasn’t a big deal. They were expecting bigger things. Mightier deeds. But for those people He healed, it was a HUGE deal. It was life-changing!

Sometimes we’re so focused on ourselves, focused on what WE want to see Jesus, do that we miss the miracles He does in the lives of others. That’s true in everyday life, but it’s especially true in ministry…

When you go into a program/retreat/trip, do you have a specific benchmark you have to see before you consider the event a success? The cliché is: unless everyone cries, it’s not a successful retreat, right? Or unless 200 people walk thru the door, it’s a failure?

Can we step back and appreciate the little things Jesus is doing in the lives of students? Maybe it’s Matt’s first time to ever pray in his own words? Maybe while kneeling in adoration, Sarah believes for the first time that Jesus is REALLY present? Maybe Scott was able to let go of pain he’s been carrying around secretly for years? Maybe Anthony felt welcomed, loved and included for the first time ever? Maybe Karen decided to stop cutting?

Keep your eyes and ears open for God doing mighty deeds in unexpected places. And know that ANYTIME God moves, it’s a MIGHTY deed.

Michael Marchand

Michael is a Catholic evangelist, author and speaker.

After spending 11 years as a parish youth minister, Michael left parish ministry to work full-time with ProjectYM (a ministry he cofounded a few years earlier).

Michael's resume also includes preaching gigs at events and conferences around the world, a Catholic theology degree, authoring a book on Catholic evangelization, years of training and consulting with parish/diocesan leaders on technology and social media, countless online projects, and the founding of 2 ProjectYM mission bases: one in Uganda and one in Chattanooga, TN.

Michael is blessed to be part of an amazing missionary family. Michael, his beautiful wife (Crystal) and four kids serve the local Church in Chattanooga, TN.