Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus’ friends ask him if a sign will come from heaven….Jesus tells them that the sign did come - And no one paid any attention to it……”As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased”……Our world does not want to hear it…..But the mistake of many who are trying their best to be “that sign” - Is they only us words…The sign our world needs will not come in the form of words……The great Vietnamese Cardinal Nguyen Van Than, who was imprisoned for thirteen years for his witness to the faith put it this way……
”If I am not different in some way or am afraid to be, I will not transmit any recognizable sign……A sign is a witness….But most of the times, a sign is silent. Often it is sufficient to be present - constantly, obstinately, courageously present - and never leave one’s post…..In every epoch, the Lord establishes signs to guide humanity. These signs are the lives of the saints….They may be severe guides, audacious and unwavering….a sign for their particular age but all of them proclaimed to humanity: “There is a God. God is love. The Gospel is the way to the Kingdom. Repent! Change your life"
To this day mankind looks for signs - The sign, which was just explained to us by Cardinal Nguyen Van Than - Is this what you think when you look for a sign?…..Jesus goes on in the Gospel today addressing his friends about signs………..”So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”…….Our world today says it needs a sign in order to believe in God - In order to change - And when that sign comes - The sign is crushed or outright ignored……..But God has not given up on mankind - Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more!
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: All flesh shall see the salvation of God”
When one reads about the lives of the saints, patterns are quickly established. All the saints were different, but the message was the same…They however communicated that same message uniquely……Saints do not come in the “nice neat box” society or even the Church wants them too….Saints are radical men and women….They shock us most times….They “jar” us out of complacency - Not by words but by their witness………..In the 18th century Benedict Joseph Labre came from a well to do family in France…..He was a prayerful young man and as a result looked to enter religious life…He tried a number of times and was rejected each time…..Finally, he wrote his parents and told them he decided to become a pilgrim and basically never contacted them again…From that point forward Benedict Joseph wandered from shrine to shrine in Europe - To put it in modern terms - He was homeless and remained homeless….He eventually landed in Rome and that is where he stayed….Homeless and prayerful……Witnesses said he lived on divine providence…At times he would eat out of the garbage - His cloths were rags…..And during Holy Week he collapsed and died of malnutrition…When he died, the city of Rome went into an uproar - “The saint is dead”!…..Once again, God gave the world a saint - Not in a “nice neat box”…........It is very human to want to be comfortable - But that is not how we enter the Kingdom of God.
“Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship”
Today Jesus in St Matthew's gospel echoes a pattern, which has repeated itself throughout the centuries….Mankind says he wants a sign - Man says he wants to hear and live the Truth - And when the Truth appears - Man ignores it or outright crushes it….And now here is the ironic part - Each time this happens, after mankind destroys the every thing he says it wants - He then places that “sign” on a pedestal - As if he cared about it when it was staring him in the face…………..Rinse - Wash - Repeat! - The cycle continues…………..So the question is - How do we recognize the “signs of the times”?…......In a word - Grace…….Grace is not “magic dust”….....We must avail our soul to it - And if we do not - We will miss out on it and miss the "sign"…….And if we are fortunate enough to “see” such a sign - Do we then respond to it?…..Its in the response that we too become a “sign”, in a unique way ordained by God from the beginning of time…….God has not given up on the human race and while we continue along the same patterns and embrace the same nonsense of the past, God continues to send us signs…..And if you are sincerely looking for one - Don’t think for a moment that the “sign” will come in a “nice neat box”…..Because it does not work that way……….”The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” - So keep an eye out and don’t be surprised to be surprised!……………JMJ
No comments:
Post a Comment