In the morning paper today, I read about a miracle. A communion wafer fell on the floor in Sokolka, Poland, and when it was picked up, it had a black spot on it. The wafer is now housed in a reliquary for people to see. At the risk of sounding cynical, in my world I would consider that a sign of bad housekeeping more than a miracle of God. Don’t misunderstand me. I believe that God is at work in our world, both within and at times beyond the natural order of things.
If God were trying to speak to me through dropped communion elements, I would be out of luck. One of my favorite choir members uses an assistance dog, and I process in behind Ginger and her master weekly during the final service of the weekend. Ginger is a canine vacuum cleaner, and she pauses as we go up the steps into the chancel to clean up any stray bread crumbs. (I’ve always considered that a value-added service that she provides us.) If there were any miracles to be found in the pieces of crumbs, Ginger would scoop them up long before any crowds had a chance to gather.
And yet. A canine enables a human to do things that she would be unable to do otherwise. A miracle occurs before my eyes each week, if I’m not too blind to notice.
