February: Day 20: Teaching 2: Venerable Bessarion of Egypt

February: Day 20: Teaching 2:
Venerable Bessarion of Egypt
 
(Why Do We Nowadays See So Few Miracles?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. From his earliest youth, Venerable Bessarion, whose memory is celebrated today, dedicated himself entirely to the service of God. After visiting many great ascetics of the desert, he absorbed their spirit and himself renounced everything worldly; he wandered through mountains and deserts, not only without a permanent shelter, but rarely even staying under another’s roof. He spent days and nights in prayer and was granted by God the gift of great miracle-working.

Once, by prayer and the sign of the cross, he turned bitter sea water into drinkable water to quench the thirst of his disciple who was fainting from dehydration. By prayer the Venerable Bessarion brought down rain during drought, crossed rivers as if upon dry land, and healed the sick.

With extreme strictness toward himself, he was full of leniency toward others. Once, when a monk who had fallen into sin was punished by being forbidden to stand in church together with the brethren, Bessarion left the church along with the condemned monk, saying: “I too am a sinner.”

He strongly instructed everyone to remain constantly vigilant and on guard against temptations raised by the evil spirit, warning that these temptations overtake a person suddenly — especially when his soul is in a peaceful, calm, and therefore seemingly carefree state.

Struggling steadfastly until deep old age, Venerable Bessarion reposed at the end of the fifth century.

II. When hearing of the striking miracles of Venerable Bessarion, a question naturally arises: why do we now see so few miracles?

a) One reason why miracles are not seen lies in the miracle-workers themselves. True miracle-workers do not like to display their miracles.

Jesus Christ Himself — the Head and perfect model of miracle-workers — who came to earth so that through Him mankind might know the saving, wonderworking power of God, nevertheless apparently concealed His miraculous power more often than He revealed it.

He healed the leper — and immediately “Jesus said to him: see that you tell no man” (Matt. 8:4).

He raised Jairus’ daughter — and when the parents marveled and were ready to glorify Him, “He commanded them to tell no one what had happened” (Luke 8:56).

He was transfigured in glory on Tabor before only three chosen disciples — and even to them, “as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying: tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen from the dead” (Matt. 17:9).

Why such concealment?

So as, according to His saying, “not to cast pearls before swine” (Matt. 7:6), lest the holy works of God be insulted by impure and blasphemous lips or trampled by the contempt of the ignorant — and also to leave us an example not to fall into human glory, which is dangerous for virtue.

Following this wise and holy concealment of the wonderworking God-man, all miracle-working people — the saints of God in all times and throughout the world — likewise act, both out of duty and out of fear of temptation.

Thus miracles occur even in our time — for God is always the same, and man in every age needs supernatural, that is miraculous, divine help — yet not all miracles are visible to us.

b) Another reason why miracles are not only unseen but sometimes not performed at all is unbelief or weak faith — either of those who should perform them, or those for whom they would be performed, or both together.

It is said: “All things are possible to him that believes” (Mark 9:23); therefore little is possible for the doubtful, and nothing for the unbeliever when a power higher than human strength is required.

Once the apostles could not cast out a demon. “Why could we not cast him out?” they asked the Lord. Jesus said to them: “Because of your unbelief” (Matt. 17:19–20).

More astonishing still: the all-powerful Lord Jesus, coming once to His own homeland, “did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).

Does omnipotence grow weak before unbelief? No! It always remains omnipotence; but either a hardened heart does not receive grace — just as a coarse stone does not receive light — or the holy power, out of merciful caution, does not touch the unworthy, as fire does not touch straw lest it be consumed.

c) Apply these general reflections about miracles particularly to our own time — and to ourselves.

Why do we not see miracles?

We do not see them — or see them rarely — either because they are hidden from us as unworthy of trust, or because they are not performed due to our unbelief or weak faith.

How can prayer work miracles for us when our prayer is brief, cold, inattentive, offered less from faith and filial love for God than from a kind of involuntary obedience to His law?

How can the spiritual word work miracles in us when our heart, like a neglected field overgrown with weeds, is densely sown with idle talk, fleshly desires, and lawless thoughts?

How can the ysteries work miracles in us if we approach them only out of necessity, without careful prior purification and without a burning desire for union with God?

The Apostle Paul, reproving the Corinthians for unworthy communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, concludes: “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30),
that is, many are struck by sudden death for profaning the holy things.

For many of us, it already seems to me a miracle of God’s mercy that in similar cases such punishments do not overtake us.

III. Let us, brethren, turn to the Lord who unceasingly works wonders for our salvation, and each for all and all for each cry out to Him with the apostles: “Lord, increase our faith” (Luke 17:5).

And then with David: “Show me a sign for good; that they which hate me may see and be ashamed, because You, Lord, hast helped me and comforted me” (Psalm 85:17 LXX). Amen.

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.