DAILY MEDITATION: “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”

Liturgical day: Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel text (Mt 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.”

“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”

Fr. Joel PIRES Teixeira
(Faro, Portugal)

Today, Jesus is tested by “some teachers of the law and Pharisees” (Mt 12, 38), who feel threatened by him, not because of reasons of faith, but of power. Fearing they will lose their influence, they seek to discredit Jesus by provoking Him. At times, we may do this too, when we are led by our selfishness and individual interests; or, likewise, when we look at the Church as a mere human reality and not as a project of God’s love for each one of us.

Jesus’ answer is sharp: “but none will be given” (cf. Mt 12, 39). He responds not out of fear, but to emphasize and remind them that the "signs" are evidence of the communication and love that exist between God and humanity; they are not merely manifestations of interests and individual powers. Jesus shows that there are many signs given by God; and it is not by challenging or blackmailing Him that He can be reached.

Jesus is the greatest sign. On this day the Word is an invitation for each one of us to humbly understand that only a converted heart turned towards God, can receive, interpret, and see this sign which is Jesus. Humility is the reality that not only brings us closer to God, but also to humanity. Through humility we acknowledge our limitations and virtues, but mostly we see our neighbors as brothers and sisters, and God as our Father.

As Pope Francis reminds us, "the Lord is patient with us! He never tires of starting over again each time we fall". That is why, despite our faults and shortcomings, the Lord welcomes us with open arms to start all over again. Let us, therefore, try to make the Word a reality in our lives, starting today!

The joy of the Christian is to be recognized by the love that is seen in his or her life —love that springs from Jesus.

Source: evangeli.net