Did Jesus Really Multiply All Those Fish and Loaves?

At age 15, my parents sent me off one summer vacation to “Catholic Camp” in Ohio (my first time leaving Canada). The food tasted stale, the sleeping conditions did not encourage an unconscious state and the beautiful surrounding woods were “off limits.”

During one of the daily services a priest talked about the parable of Jesus feeding 5,000 people by multiplying a few loaves and fish.

“While I’m sure Jesus could have used his powers to do such an act,” said the priest not so confidently, “I’d rather think differently. I feel Jesus merely convinced one person to share what they had. Then others, seeing the first person sharing, began to share what they had.”

My young mind sat their thinking, “That sounds nice and all but… but not right.”

At the same, I think the priest merely said what most people believe. The very term “miracle” suggests something outside of the laws of the universe, reason and realism.

Not much later I discovered the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda — a master from India who lived in America for three decades teaching yoga meditation. He quickly bridged this gap between science and miracles for me. I remember reading and re-reading chapter 30 of his Autobiography of a Yogi, entitled the “Law of Miracles.”

I quickly understood why we are so quick to discredit miracles. In order to acknowledge such metaphysical realities, we must discredit the reality of matter — of everything we know to be “real.”

Yet, modern science busily discredits physical reality with each new quantum discovery.

As Yogananda wrote, over 80 years ago…

“Twentieth-century science is thus soundinglike a page from the hoary Vedas.”

“From science, then, if it must be so” continues the Indian master, “let man learn the philosophic truth that there is no material universe; its warp and woof is maya, illusion. Under analysis all its mirages of reality dissolve. As, one by one, the reassuring props of a physical cosmos crash beneath him, man dimly perceives his idolatrous reliance, his transgression of the Divine Command: ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.’

“Masters who are able to materialize and dematerialize their bodies and other objects, and to move with the velocity of light, and to utilize the creative light rays in bringing into instant viability any physical manifestation, have fulfilled the lawful condition: their mass is infinite.”

My mind could easily accept the idea that Jesus had obtained “infinite mass.” That he was merely rearranging light and atoms with his fully awakened consciousness.

Omnipotent powers lose their incredibility
if there be no reality to matter

We must see science expand beyond the mundane physical realms to end not only this erroneous separation between spirituality and science… but also the seemingly incompatibility between all the world religions. So much misunderstanding is caused by people blindly caught up in the physical manifestations unique to their following.

Today marks the anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda’s birth (January 5, 1893). I just wanted to share something from his writings that influenced my forthcoming works of science fiction and fantasy. Science fiction, in particularly, is a new genre. One, I think, that will help our world enter an age where we realize the reality of energy over matter, and, eventually, Spirit over energy.

P.S. Do you think the miracles attributed to Jesus, Krishna, the Buddha, masters, saints and even common man are merely legends or real science? Leave any thoughts or questions about today’s post in the comment box below…

P.P.S. For more information on Paramahansa Yoganada and his teaching visit www.yogananda-srf.org.

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About the Author: John C. A. Manley writes writes spiritual science fiction and fantasy novellas. He's been practicing Kriya Yoga since 1996. For three years he lived in in hindu monastery in the mountains of of Southern California. He currently lives in Stratford, Ontario with his wife Nicole, son Jonah and cat Astral. Click here to read more or click here to subscribe to his MetaphysicalSF email column.