The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
Reflection: Today’s Gospel is an example of Spiritual Blindness. The Pharisees’ inability to recognize Jesus despite the signs he performed shows their spiritual blindness and resistance to the truth.
Let’s be honest, which of us has never asked God for a sign? On occasion, we have opened the Bible at random page hoping to find a word or a phrase as a sign to help us. We even asked God directly for a sign to guide us in an important decision or outcome or reassurance. Or the ol’ standard, God if you do this then I will do that.
We live in a society that has signs of all sorts. We can’t do or go anywhere without signage. The question is how we see these signs, and what lenses that we choose to use that allow us to understand our lives and the world around us. How do we understand where God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit is operating in our lives? What gives us the capacity to even understand any of that? Do I have the willingness to deep dive into my faith (spirituality) that will make me capable of understanding my mission.
Very often we are looking for a sign, but we often miss them because we are so busy and won’t slow down. We want God to speak loudly, clearly to us and place these signs right in our hands. But, as we know, that doesn’t always happen. 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?”
This Gospel is describing how we are always looking for some sign from God, some reassurance, some acknowledgement, or approval. But have you ever stopped for a moment and thought, what if God has been waiting for a sign from you? Maybe we are so busy therefore we are so blind that we can’t see it. And then, we realize it was right in front of us all along. Sure! We give the Sign of the Cross; Sign of Peace; the Peace sign, the sign of our open hands in prayer, we give a helping hand and at the very least we shake hands. But is that enough? Is that the sign that God is looking for?
Action of the Day: Have a conversation with God and talk to him about the things that he asks of you. Ask him what Spiritual Blindness do you possess? What does he want you to do? What gifts does he want you to use?
Audio Reflection:
