Throughout history there have been countless accounts of miracles. However, "miracle" is a term normally used to represent a positive event or occurrence. But it is the human mind that decides on what is positive or negative, and as such it is inclined to be neither right nor wrong. One could use the premise of "truth" to support the definition but "truth" itself is also subject to the similar debatable definition process. Nevertheless, there is no harm for the human mind to accept miracles in whichever manner, so long as they are accompanied by the element of hope. Having said that that, the meaning of "miracle" then depends on the situation, subject and/or frame of mind of the person who defines it.
There is this frequently told story of a small honest to goodness family that was unfortunately afflicted with all sorts of misfortunes and sufferings. One day the head of the family gathered everyone to a religious institution to earnestly pray for a miracle to deliver them from their plight. Upon completing their prayers, and as they drove out of the gates, they were met with a fatal accident and all died on the spot. So, was that a miracle?
Recently there was a plane crash where, out of 100 passengers only one survived. This was reported to be a miracle, whereas the next-of-kin of the non-survivors could only console themselves that it was just sheer luck for the survivor and just too bad for the rest. So, was it a miracle or luck?
I know of a colleague who was a bad worker by nature, consistently sabotaging her department's progress. She just couldn't get along with her co-workers and they hated her guts. Under much distress she resorted to applying for another job over the past year and prayed very hard to get one. Recently, when she finally succeeded she exclaimed, "It's a miracle!" Meanwhile, her co-workers were also praying doubly hard to get rid of her. And when she announced her resignation, they all cheered, "It's a miracle!" So, do we have two miracles here?
It is undeniable that many of us believe there is divine intervention in events which can't be readily understood or explained. Undoubtedly, there are such phenomena and occurrences that lie at the edge of or beyond the limit of comprehension of the human mind. Until then, we continue to label them as miracles.
