Jesus came to reshape human society and create a new order in the world – the reign God. These miraculous healings are signs of what Jesus came to accomplish.
Jesus isn’t showing off his power. Nor is he scrambling to go around and heal every sick person in the world. He is preaching through signs that show what the reign of God is like. He is showing us the future and calling us to be part of bringing it about.
Even though we can’t perform miracles, we can join in the Lord’s work through acts of kindness, forgiveness, and peace. These signs change the world (and us) for the better, and help reveal the reign of God.
Christmas is three weeks away. There is a spirit of friendship in the air that actually makes it easier to reach out to others. No one would think us strange if out of the blue we “miraculously” touched another person’s life with a simple note, a Christmas card, a phone call, a visit, a kind gift, a word asking forgiveness…a word giving forgiveness.
It is in the air, there for the asking.
St. Barbara’s Branch
According to legend, Barbara was the daughter of a third-century pagan name Dioscorus. She was very beautiful and to protect her from harm, he imprisoned her in a tower whenever he was away.
Despite her father’s overprotectiveness, Barbara discovered the Christian faith and decided to convert.
When Dioscorus learned that his daughter had become a Christian, he flew into a rage and ordered that she be tortured and beheaded.
In the days before her execution, imprisoned in the tower, Barbara found a dried-up cherry tree branch in her cell. She began to moisten it daily with a few drops from her ration of water and, just before her execution; the branch bloomed with beautiful cherry blossoms.
Until the post-Vatican II reform of the liturgical calendar, today was the feast of St. Barbara.
“St. Barbara’s Day” is celebrated in many German-speaking countries. A small cherry branch is placed in water and kept in a warm room. If all goes well, the branch blooms on Christmas day, and this is considered a good sign for the future.