Father Koch: The work of the Church continues Jesus’ ministry
December 5, 2025 at 8:24 a.m.
John the Baptizer sent two disciples to Jesus to ask him if he is the “one who is to come” or whether they should “wait for another.” Jesus responds by citing the prophet Isaiah: “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
Now as the work of Christ through the Church continues to transform lives, the skeptics still ask the same question, though they find this answer less compelling. We have become so used to the miraculous that we take it for granted.
This underlying reality hits us often. Many people, including otherwise faithful Catholics and Christians, look at the world and human experiences and wonder where God is. We easily attribute the healing of the sick to the advancements of bio-medical science. We can readily take for granted the work of charitable organizations throughout the world, including the works of the Church.
The challenge for us is to understand the miraculous. Herein lies the problem of definition. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a miracle as: “a sign or wonder, such as a healing, or a sign of nature, which can only be attributed to divine power. The miracles of Jesus were messianic signs of the presence of God’s kingdom (547).”
Given the definition, then, the question arises as to whether or not the miraculous is rare or common.
Praying for a miracle happens frequently in our lives. A grave medical diagnosis often causes us to seek a miraculous cure, and far more often than not the miracle does not occur, at least not in the way we expect it. Sometimes the miraculous can be dismissed as a mistake. A recent conversation with a patient in the hospital brought this to light for me. The medical tests and imaging had revealed a tumor which needed to be surgically removed. The surgeon, however, found neither a tumor or scarring evidence of said tumor. The doctors attributed the outcome to an error in interpretation of the imaging. She, however, wasn’t convinced. She understood her experience as a miracle, and was grateful that her prayers had been answered.
So, what happened?
The eyes of faith convinced her that God had acted on her behalf and in answer to her prayers. The eyes of the world told her otherwise.
At the same time, the good works of the Church throughout the world continue the work of Jesus in the world.
The missionaries who have from the first Pentecost until the present day who leave all behind to evangelize peoples, and to continue to offer on-going support to the new churches, shows the work of Jesus present in the world. The countless thousands of food pantries, soup kitchens, service agencies, hospitals, clinics, homes for the elderly, infirmed; the orphanages, learning centers, schools, and other specialized ministries all answer the question posed by the disciples of John the Baptizer.
The work of the Church in the name of Jesus continues to bring healing, hope, faith, and love to a world that is fractured and broken by sin.
Yet the world often only sees tax shelters, hospitals that refuse to be complicit in immoral and questionable medical procedures, places of indoctrination, and havens for abuse, or centers of political dissention, instead of the care of people of God.
The skeptics and the haters will always be there, sowing seeds of doubt and distrust. Our work, to continue the work of the Gospel and to proclaim the message of the Gospel and bear faithful witness to the work of Jesus Christ through both the miraculous and the ordinary experience of life, must remain as our focal point.
Where the world sees mistakes and dissenters, we see the hand of God present in every moment of our lives.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.
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John the Baptizer sent two disciples to Jesus to ask him if he is the “one who is to come” or whether they should “wait for another.” Jesus responds by citing the prophet Isaiah: “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
Now as the work of Christ through the Church continues to transform lives, the skeptics still ask the same question, though they find this answer less compelling. We have become so used to the miraculous that we take it for granted.
This underlying reality hits us often. Many people, including otherwise faithful Catholics and Christians, look at the world and human experiences and wonder where God is. We easily attribute the healing of the sick to the advancements of bio-medical science. We can readily take for granted the work of charitable organizations throughout the world, including the works of the Church.
The challenge for us is to understand the miraculous. Herein lies the problem of definition. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a miracle as: “a sign or wonder, such as a healing, or a sign of nature, which can only be attributed to divine power. The miracles of Jesus were messianic signs of the presence of God’s kingdom (547).”
Given the definition, then, the question arises as to whether or not the miraculous is rare or common.
Praying for a miracle happens frequently in our lives. A grave medical diagnosis often causes us to seek a miraculous cure, and far more often than not the miracle does not occur, at least not in the way we expect it. Sometimes the miraculous can be dismissed as a mistake. A recent conversation with a patient in the hospital brought this to light for me. The medical tests and imaging had revealed a tumor which needed to be surgically removed. The surgeon, however, found neither a tumor or scarring evidence of said tumor. The doctors attributed the outcome to an error in interpretation of the imaging. She, however, wasn’t convinced. She understood her experience as a miracle, and was grateful that her prayers had been answered.
So, what happened?
The eyes of faith convinced her that God had acted on her behalf and in answer to her prayers. The eyes of the world told her otherwise.
At the same time, the good works of the Church throughout the world continue the work of Jesus in the world.
The missionaries who have from the first Pentecost until the present day who leave all behind to evangelize peoples, and to continue to offer on-going support to the new churches, shows the work of Jesus present in the world. The countless thousands of food pantries, soup kitchens, service agencies, hospitals, clinics, homes for the elderly, infirmed; the orphanages, learning centers, schools, and other specialized ministries all answer the question posed by the disciples of John the Baptizer.
The work of the Church in the name of Jesus continues to bring healing, hope, faith, and love to a world that is fractured and broken by sin.
Yet the world often only sees tax shelters, hospitals that refuse to be complicit in immoral and questionable medical procedures, places of indoctrination, and havens for abuse, or centers of political dissention, instead of the care of people of God.
The skeptics and the haters will always be there, sowing seeds of doubt and distrust. Our work, to continue the work of the Gospel and to proclaim the message of the Gospel and bear faithful witness to the work of Jesus Christ through both the miraculous and the ordinary experience of life, must remain as our focal point.
Where the world sees mistakes and dissenters, we see the hand of God present in every moment of our lives.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.