You Need More Miracles in Your Life
Many Orthodox Christians have a tendency to prioritize services centered around miraculous icons, while forgetting the greatest miracle of all is the Eucharist. The myrrh-streaming icon is indeed an incredible site to behold, but the living bread come down from heaven is by far the miracle that should draw us into the temple. It is because of the Divine Liturgy that the church becomes the upper room, and the believer is able to encounter the Living God. It was the Eucharist that caused the early Christians to risk martyrdom while gathering with other believers.
The Gospels are filled with accounts of miracles performed by Christ, but the greatest of them all was when He offered the simple elements of bread and wine, made by man, and transformed them into His very Body and Blood. This miracle continues to this very day, after some two thousand years, to bring Christ into our very midst and allow us to receive Him for the healing of both our bodies and our souls. Every single Divine Liturgy is an opportunity for us to not only witness this miracle but to partake in it.
Saint John Chrysostom tells us that “when the priest calls upon the Holy Spirit and the gifts are consecrated, it is not man who acts, but Christ Himself through him. Do you seek miracles? Behold—the Lord of all creation lies upon the altar!”
That so many faithful would fill our churches to venerate a miraculous icon, yet not take seriously the greatest mystery of all, the Eucharist, is a tragedy. Saint Paisios the Athonite even told us that believers who “run after signs and wonders, yet ignore the greatest wonder of all”, fall short of the central meaning of being a Christian.
Saint Seraphim of Sarov even said, “There is nothing higher or holier on earth than the Liturgy. The angels themselves attend it invisibly, and if we saw with spiritual eyes, we would flee in terror at the majesty of the mysteries being celebrated.”
Of course it is a great blessing to have the opportunity to venerate miraculous icons, but if we prioritize our church attendance around myrrh-streaming icons, but fail to see the celebration of the Divine Liturgy as the pinnacle of our Orthodox faith, the greatest of miracles will have evaded us. If we are going to services for the veneration of miraculous icons, it would be spiritually profitable to attend two Divine Liturgies, one before and one after.
Our true focus must be on the great miracle that takes place during the Divine Liturgy where God miraculously gives Himself to us to be joined in a daily relationship with Him. It is not just about one-off novelties or special occurrences, as spiritually profitable as they can be. What is important is that we grow our love for God to encompass all of life and not just rare moments.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon