当你途经奇迹盛放

by Gregg Braden

Sometimes， just when we need the power of miracles to change our beliefs， they materialize in the places wed least expect. They can come to us as a drastic alteration in our physical reality or as a simple 1）synchronicity in our lives. Sometimes theyre big and cant be missed—the vision of 2）Our Lady of the Rosary that appeared to 50，000 people on a hillside near 3）Fátima， Portugal， in 1917， for example. Other times theyre so subtle that if we arent aware， we may miss them altogether. They can come from the lips of a stranger we suddenly and mysteriously encounter at just the right instant. If we listen carefully， well always hear the right words， at the right time， to dazzle us into a realization of something that we may have failed to notice only moments before.

On a cold January afternoon in 1989， I was hiking up the trail that leads to the top of Egypts 4）Mt. Horeb （the mountain of 5）Moses）. Id spent the day at St. Catherines Monastery and wanted to reach the peak by sunset to see the valley below. As I was winding up the narrow path， Id occasionally see other hikers who were coming down from a day on the mountain. While they would generally pass with simply a nod or a greeting in another language， there was one man that day who did neither.

I saw him coming from the last switchback on the trail that led to the backside of the mountain. As he got closer， I could see that he was dressed differently from the other hikers Id seen. Rather than the high-tech fabrics and styles that had been the norm， this man was wearing traditional Egyptian clothing. He wore a tattered， rust-colored 6）galabia and obviously old and thick-soled 7）sandals that were covered in dust. What made his appearance so odd， though， was that the man didnt even appear to be Egyptian！ He was a small-framed Asian man， had very little hair， and was wearing round， 8）wire-rimmed glasses.

As we neared one another， I was the first to speak. “Hello，” I said， stopping on the trail for a moment to catch my breath. Not a sound came from the man as he walked closer. I thought that maybe he hadnt heard me or the wind had carried my voice away from him in another direction. Suddenly he stopped directly in front of me on the high side of the trail， looked up from the ground， and spoke a single sentence to me in English：“Sometimes you dont know what you have lost until youve lost it.” As I took in what I had just heard， he simply stepped around me and continued on his descent down the trail.

That moment in my life was a small miracle. The reason is less about what the man said and more about the timing and the context. The year was 1989， and the 9）Cold War was drawing to a close. What the man on the trail couldnt have known is that it was during my Egyptian pilgrimage， and specifically during my hike to the top of Mosess mountain， that Id set the time aside to make decisions that would affect my career in the 10）defense industry， my friends， my family， and， ultimately， my life.

I had to ask myself what the chances were of an Asian man dressed in an Egyptian galabia coming down from the top of this historic mountain just when I was walking up， stopping before me，and offering his wisdom， seemingly from out of nowhere. My answer to my own question was easy： The odds were slim to none！ In an encounter that lasted less than two minutes， on a mountain halfway around the world from my home， a total stranger had brought clarity， and the hint of a warning， regarding the huge changes that I would make within a matter of days. In my way of thinking， thats a miracle.

I suspect that we all experience small miracles in our lives every day. Sometimes we have the wisdom and the courage to recognize them for what they are. In the moments when we dont， thats okay as well. It seems that our miracles have a way of coming back to us again and again. And each time they do， they become a little less subtle， until we cant possibly miss the message that they bring to our lives！

The key is that theyre everywhere and occur every day for different reasons， in response to the different needs that we may have in the moment. Our job may be less about questioning the extraordinary things that happen in our daily lives and more about accepting the gifts they bring.

有时候，就在我们需要奇迹的力量来改变信念之际，奇迹总在我们意想不到的地方出现。奇迹来到我们身边，显现为我们现实世界里的一个巨变，又或是我们生命中巧合而至的事件。有时候这些奇迹宏大彰显，难以忽视，比如说，1917年，在葡萄牙临近法蒂玛的一个山坡上，玫瑰圣母的影像在五万人面前显现。还有一些时候奇迹很微妙，如果并不在意，我们也许会完全错失。奇迹可以来自于一个陌生人的口中，一个适时突如其来的神秘陌生人。如果我们仔细聆听，我们往往会听得合时箴言，顿悟到片刻前我们可能未曾注意到的东西。

1989年1月，一个寒冷的午后，我正攀登着通向埃及何烈山（摩西之山）山顶的小径。我已在圣凯瑟琳修道院待了大半天，打算在日落前到达顶峰，看看下面的山谷。沿着那条狭窄的山路蜿蜒上行，我偶尔会见到其他在山上待了一整天正在下山的背包客。他们经过时往往会简单地点下头或用另一种语言问候，但那天我遇到一个人他却没有这么做。

我看到他从通往山后的那条小径的最后一个折返处走来。当他走近些的时候，我能看出他与其他我见到的背包客穿着不同。这个男人并非穿着常规款式的高端面料登山服，而是穿着传统的埃及服饰。他穿着一件破破的赭色长袍，脚上踏着一双沾满了灰尘的厚底旧凉鞋。但是，看起来尤为古怪的是，那男人根本不像是埃及人！他是个小个儿的亚洲男人，仅有一丁点儿头发，戴着副圆圆的金丝镶边眼镜。

当我们走近彼此的时候，我是那个先开口的人。“你好，”我说道，一边在小径上停下了脚步喘口气。那个男人走得更近的时候却并未作声。我想也许他没听到或者风把我的声音从他那儿吹到了别的方向。突然，他径直在我面前停了下来，停在小径较高的那边，抬起头，只是用英语对我说了一句话：“有时候直到你失去了，你才知道你丢掉了什么。”当我琢磨着自己刚刚听到的话时，他只是在我周围踱了踱步，而后继续走他下山的路。

我人生中的那一刻是个小小的奇迹。原因并不是因为那个男人说了什么，更多的是因为那个时机和情境。那年是1989年，冷战时代已经接近终结。那个山径上的男人不会知道的是在我的埃及朝圣之行中，特别是在我徒步登上摩西山顶的途中，我将预留出时间来做决定，那些决定将会影响我在国防业的职业生涯、我的朋友、我的家人，还有，最后是，我的人生。

我不得不问自己这是何种机缘，看起来不知打哪儿冒出来的一位身着埃及长袍的亚洲人在我上山的同时也正从这座名山上走下来，停在我面前，并分享他的智慧。我对自己的问题给出的答案很简单：这几率小到没有！在一场持续了两分钟不到的偶遇中，离家以外，地球的另一端，在这山上，一个陌生人带来了清晰并蕴含着暗示的警言，提醒着我在数日之内将会做出巨大的改变。在我看来，那是一个奇迹。

我猜想我们在生命里的每一天都经历着小奇迹。有时候我们有智慧和勇气去识出它们的本来面目。当我们识不出的时候，也没什么关系。我们的奇迹似乎总有反复回到我们身边的办法。并且每次当它们归来，都变得少了一丝微妙，直到它们将我们不可能错失的消息带进我们的生活。

关键是，它们无处不在，并且每天因为不同的原由发生着，呼应着我们在当下可能怀有的不同需求。我们要做的不是过分质疑发生在我们日常生活中的非凡事件，而是更多地接受它们带来的恩赐。

葡萄牙里斯本东北部的一个山中小镇——法蒂玛，如今成为了全世界天主教徒朝圣祈祷的圣地，其中的缘由还必须从1917年讲起……

1917年5月13日，三个小牧童——路济亚、雅琴达、方济各，在一棵小橡树上看到了一位光耀、温柔、美丽的夫人，她身着金边白色长衣，头巾直直垂到脚跟，她说：“我从天上来。”孩子们认出了她就是圣母玛利亚。圣母要求三个孩子奉献自己，做刻苦补赎，并为了世界和平常念玫瑰经。当时正值第一次世界大战，西班牙也卷入欧陆战争，葡萄牙仰仗圣母庇佑，并未燃起战火。

玫瑰圣母先后在法蒂玛显身六次，第六次显身是在1917年10月13日，当时有几万人在场。圣母告诉他们：“我是玫瑰之后，我希望在这里盖一座圣堂，让罪人在这里痛悔罪过。” 接着天空出现异象，人们看到太阳跳动，又似火轮般自行旋转，众人纷纷跪下呼喊：“求天主垂怜！”而后，天空出现圣家三圣，耶稣婴孩祝福了他们。