“You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time” (Lk 12:56).
Reading this verse brought two memories from my childhood. The first one is from when my friend Steve and I as kids were interested in reading the natural signs and weather patterns, and we enjoyed watching our local weatherman, Hilton Kaderli, forecasting the weather each night. Another memory was with my cousin Danny. We were at my Uncle Pierre and Aunt Claudette’s house one afternoon and we saw a storm rising. We headed to the road and started running as fast as we could in the opposite direction to see how far we could get before the storm caught us, and when it did we walked home, sucking in air, being pelted by the rain, and enjoyed a good soaking. Steve, Danny, and I read the signs of the earth and the sky, but we didn’t pay all that much attention to the things of the spirit at that time.
Not only through his teachings, but also through his public actions, Jesus revealed some powerful signs that God was in their midst. Jesus taught and preached on his own authority, he cast out demons, forgave sins, healed people, met and ate with sinners and women. These were amazing signs that the Messiah came to dwell among them, yet some did not or would not see this truth. They rationalized away that he could not be who he showed himself to be.
Some did see and believe in his and each successive generation. Some two thousand years later because of their faithfulness, Jesus speaks to us again today. The accounts and encounters of Jesus have been preserved and passed on. the Bible is not just a dead letter, nor is the sacred deposit of our faith tradition some inanimate object passed on blindly generation after generation. We are invited time and again to be aware, to look for how Jesus still works in our lives each day.
Nor is Jesus a mere historical figure. Jesus conquered death, rose again and became the first born of the new creation. He is present in his glorified Body in the Eucharist and through each of us, “for what you do to the least of these, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:31-46). The good news is that he invites us to read the signs of his presence in our lives in our times.
Do we see coincidences or God-incidences? Do we see God’s presence working in our lives? If not, could it be because our lives are so busy and fast-paced? If so, schedule some time each day to stop, breathe, and reflect. Even if for only five to ten minutes, we can slow down and ask God to help us review the past twenty-four hours with the express purpose of noticing how he has been involved and engaged in our lives.
It is often by reflecting and looking back over the course of a day, a week, or a month, that we will recall some God-incidents no matter how small. Being thankful for this growing awareness and asking God for greater insight each day will help us to grow in our awareness of how much he has been accompanying us all along in our daily experiences.
For those times that we have refused or failed to recognize this closeness to Jesus, especially in his presence coming to us through others seeking our help, we can ask for forgiveness and for Jesus to assist us in being more aware and more intentional in following the stirring of the Holy Spirit going forward. Opening our hearts and minds to God will help us to better read the signs that the kingdom of heaven is indeed at hand, in our very midst. Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear: his word, his presence in the Eucharist, in each other, in creation, and in the silence of hearts?
Photo: God reveals himself to us each day in so many ways. Just one for me coming home early Wednesday evening.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 