God does not exist to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the will of God.

“How shall a man judge what to do in such times?'

'As he ever has judged,' said Aragorn. 'Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear...It is a man's part to discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien: (1892 –1973: was an English writer, poet, and university professor)

Gospel Text: (LK 12:54-59)

Jesus said to the crowds,

“When you see a cloud rising in the west

you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;

and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south

you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.

You hypocrites!

You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;

why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?

If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,

make an effort to settle the matter on the way;

otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,

and the judge hand you over to the constable,

and the constable throw you into prison.

I say to you, you will not be released

until you have paid the last penny.”

Today the Gospel instructs us that we have to learn to seek the signs around us with the eyes of faith. In those signs we can understand God`s will.

People around Jesus had a great ability to interpret the weather; and according to what they saw they forecast the weather. But they were unable to understand God`s signs. They were too blind to see signs of the Kingdom and the presence of the Messiah. Perhaps we have the same problem. We are able to interpret and understand our world better than ever. But we are unable to understand what God is telling us. We must learn to see the world with faith eyes.

The Vatican II Council invites all the Church to seek the signs of the time: “the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation, she can respond to the perennial questions which men ask about this present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other. We must therefore recognize and understand the world in which we live, its explanations, its longings, and its often dramatic characteristics” (Gaudium et spes 4).

For us it is easy to recognize and to confess Jesus Christ as God`s beloved son. But we have the same problem that people around Jesus had. We don`t recognize the signs of God`s presence. We are too blind to recognize, in the light and darkness of our time, the voice of God. We have to change our way of looking and learn to understand what God is whispering in the signs of our time, in what happens in our world and in our life. In solidarity expressions and in the suffering around the world we should recognize the call of God asking us to take on a bigger commitment with the Kingdom.

Let us pray to the Lord to send the Holy Spirit upon us to teach us to scrutinize the signs of the times.