Even the wind and the waves obey Him !"

 A LENTEN PILGRIMAGE    Rev. Fr. K M George     The Siddhi 

    

"Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!"

(Mark 4:41)

  The Lenten prayers repeatedly highlight great heroes in the Old Testament like Moses and Elijah, Joshua and Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach) and his two friends as examples of persons who accomplished superhuman feats as a result of fasting and prayer. Moses could ascend the mountain of God and receive the Ten Commandments. Elijah could stop the rain or bring down fire from heaven or ascend to heaven in a fiery chariot. Joshua could stop the sun and the moon in their course. Daniel could shut the mouth of lions in the den where he was thrown to be torn apart. Hananiah (Shadrach) and his two friends came out whole and unhurt from the intensely heated furnace. We learn that the elemental forces of nature are brought under their control, and that is what we call their miraculous powers. (Exodus 19; Joshua 10:12-13; I Kings 17-19; II Kings 2:8; Daniel 3; 6:10-18)

When we read the biblical passages referring to these heroes, we may notice two things:

First, we come to recognize the intensity of their commitment and the prophetic zeal with which they pursued their vision, how they purified themselves from all selfish goals for the sake of a great cause. This is the essence of fasting. It is not simply abstaining from food, drink, sex and other externals, but positively and single-mindedly pursuing the path of justice and truth for the common good. They did not compromise on the great principles, but stood against both the royal power and populist notions of power at great risk of their own lives.

Second, they were able to stand above the ordinary, first of all by strictly bringing under their control all their senses connected to the fundamental human drives of hunger, thirst, sex, power, fame, authority and so on. This is the essential frame of fasting. Jesus followed it in His fasting and prayer in the desert, in the encounter with the Satan.

Third, the power of mastery over elemental forces of nature like water, fire, air, earth's gravitational pull, movement of stars, planets and the like arose from the basic control of their own self. So, it is not simply miraculous, but a logical consequence of their determined mastery over themselves.

In India we would call it siddhi, the extraordinary ability to perform feats of great power. Anyone can acquire such powers provided one is able to follow the arduous path to control one's senses. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     In the Christian tradition, though we respect the siddhi of ascetics, we are taught by the example of Jesus not to use it or advertise it for our selfish interests for wealth,

pleasure and fame. It is meant only for healing and reconciliation, for justice and peace, and thus to witness to God's deep compassion, forgiveness and care for us human beings and all God's creation. Siddhi is of no spiritual value without deep love.