Gospel according to Mark 8:11-13
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.
Reflection:
We all experience many different types of signs for many different reasons. We experience signs from people around us, sudden thoughts, dreams, songs, animals and nature, gut feeling or instincts, religious, and coincidental signs. These are signs from God. The question of how we see, and what lenses do we allow us to understand our lives and the world more deeply? How do we understand where God, the Holy Spirit is operating in our lives, in our institutions, and the world around us? What gives us the capacity to even understand any of that?
We live in a society that has signs of all sorts; all shapes; all sizes; all around us. We can’t do or go anywhere without signage. Take for example something simple like going to a restroom in a public space. If it didn’t have any signage, then how would you know which one is men or women? Or how about a streetlight or the lack of one at a major intersection. Or when I was hiking and fishing in the Sierras and there was a minimum number of physical signs at the trailheads but there were many, many spiritual signs around me. There were many times I would just stop and sit and observe the signs that God was presenting to me. And when I did stop, there was an endless number of signs.
In this world, we are so busy and preoccupied with so many things. Sometimes all at once. I believe the word that is used today is called “multi-tasking”. Very often we are looking for a sign but because we don’t slow down, we miss them. We want Him to speak loudly, clearly and place our answers to our questions right in our hands. But that doesn’t always happen, right? More often what we experience is what appears to be silence from God. We may wonder, “Lord, where are You? Why don’t You speak to me?” But Jesus will speak to us in the same way. He will gently remind us of His life, death, and Resurrection. He will remind us that we must believe in all that He has spoken, and even if we feel like we are in the belly of a whale or dead in a tomb, hope is not lost. God is present in all things, and He is active and present to us even when He seems to be silent or far away. Or sometimes you are so busy looking for signs but maybe you are a sign for someone else!
Action of the Day: In the silence of your home or car, slow your roll and ask God what is it that I am missing or not seeing today.
Audio Reflection:
