Francisco Miraval
Sometimes you regret saying something immediately after you said it. That is what I felt a few days ago when I witnessed a miracle a few seconds after saying the miracle would never happen.
Twice a month, always on Saturday morning, I have the opportunity of going with my son to a program helping people in need in downtown Denver. I like to call this activity (not its official name) “Breakfast with the Homeless.”
Please, note I said “with” the homeless, and not “for” them, because there is no difference between those on this side of the table serving the food and those on the other side receiving the food.
I must say, because it is important to understand the miracle, that nobody organizes the event. There is no director or coordinator. For that reason, nobody knows how many volunteers will show up or how much food will be available. Of course, it is impossible to anticipate how many people in need will come to share the food.
Please, let me clarify this point. I am not talking about a disorganized group, but about an “organic” group where each member has the freedom and flexibility of contributing whatever he or she can or wants and whenever he or she can or wants. It is, indeed, a miracle that, following that approach, this group has fed thousands of people for many years.
A few days ago, we run out of bottled water and hot dogs to share with our friends and there were probably 50 people in line waiting to be served. I told my son it would be nice to open the cover of the portable grill we were using to cook the hot dogs to discover the grill was once more full with hot dogs.
I did open the cover and, of course, the grill was empty. My son immediately reminded me that those miracles involving multiplication of food only work with fish and bread, but not necessarily with hot dogs.
I told him it would be nice for a miracle to happen, because there were dozens of hungry people waiting for what it could be their only hot meal of the day. I said aloud that it was too bad that no miracle will happen.
I think I was still expressing that thought when, out of nowhere, a van suddenly parked next to the line of hungry people. Four young men exited the vehicle and began to distribute bottled water and food to those in need. As soon as they finished, they went back into the van and left the place.
None of the volunteers knew who those young men were. They just came, distributed the food, and left. And they did it precisely when I was saying in all my “wisdom” that no miracle would happen.
I do not know if it was a divine intervention or just a mere coincidence. Perhaps it was both: a miraculous coincidence that helped feed the hungry and shake my unbelief.