“We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God”

Look for the fruits of the spirit, especially the first three: love, joy, and peace. If we are angry and anxious and worried, loveless and joyless and peaceless, we have no right to say we are sure of being securely in God's will. Discernment itself should not be a stiff, brittle, anxious thing, but—since it too is part of God's will for our lives—loving and joyful and peace-filled, more like a game than a war, more like writing love letters than taking final exams. – Peter Kreeft: is a professor of philosophy at Boston College

Gospel Text: (LK 21:29-33)

Jesus told his disciples a parable.
"Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away."

The parable of the fig tree is telling us to be ready and it is easy to interpret this as being ready for life after this one, but I think it is more than that. I think that Jesus is telling us to notice the signs of the time so we can discern what is of real value and what is fleeting. Discernment requires us to search for God’s will and then decide how to respond to it. Given the day to day demands of our lives, this can be difficult. Jesus understands this. He became one of us so He could model the attitudes and values that provide us the guidance and direction we need for the journey of life.

As we work through our day today let us look for signs of God working in our lives and the world around us. Help us to see these signs and understand that the way of Jesus is the ultimate GPS.