THE MIRACLES OF JESUS ATTRACTED THE CROWDS TO HIM MORE THAN HIS PREACHING!
Yes, and in fact, He reproached his listeners: "You follow me," He tells them sadly after the multiplication of the loaves, "not because you have seen signs, but because you ate to your heart's content." (John 6:26) And when certain people (like Herod) asks Him to perform marvels "to see", He refuses. He will never seek the sensational.

THEN WHY DOES HE CURE SO MANY PEOPLE?
First, simply because He loves others with human tenderness. He does whatever he can to comfort them in their misery. But for Him, these gestures are also signs of another reality, a more spiritual one.

WHAT REALITY?
In the Miracles of Jesus, one shouldn't seek scientific proofs of His divinity, but instead, what God wants for us: fullness of life for body and soul. The mute speak, the deaf hear? People are created to express themselves, to communicate. The "possessed" are quieted? One has hope for controlling anguish. The blind see, the paralyzed walk, the wretched lepers re-enter the community? So we are called to light, to freedom, to unity with one another.

A PLAN THAT IS STILL BEING CARRIED OUT, I SUPPOSE. WE ARE ALL, IN SOME WAY, THOSE SICK FROM SELFISHNESS, THOSE TIMID PARALYZED WITH FEAR, THOSE DEAF WHO DON'T HEAR THE CRIES OF OUR NEIGHBOR.
And in measure that we try to be free of our indifference, our pride...and our myopia, we recognize the heart of God in these miracles. It's the heart of a loving, tender Father, ambitious for us....His Children.

PRAY IN PAIN, PRAY IN JOY
Prayer is not only for the times when "things go badly'. What would a husband say if his wife only told him sad things? It's that way with Christians: they share their whole life with God. And especially the happy moments.

Pray when your heart is heavy, my friend, and your feet are dragging. Pray when you feel light and you feel like whistling softly. Pray when an encounter has warmed your life again and even if you have nothing to say! In every instance, I'm listening to you, I am there with you.

Don't ask me to get rid of your toothache or to pass your exam that you didn't prepare for! But share your life with me, as one does with a dear friend. Let me look at you, enjoy seeing you grow in size, in knowledge, in confidence. I love to be aware of you living and loving and deciding... Walk the road with me. The night is less dark when the Friend is there. And the joy that one shares is always more intense. Look at me, listen to my word. If you accept your life as a gift from my hand, your strength will be increased. One day perhaps, you will be ready to feel my presence... And that meeting, you will never be able to forget.