Signs of the Times

In today’s Gospel we hear the words of Jesus warning against being a hypocrite and being vigilant about the wrong things. “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Lk 12:56). The crowds and the disciples have asked Jesus for signs and he sees their hypocrisy in not taking the present moment seriously, yet he knows that we have the capability to judge for ourselves. We have reason and thought and logic, and all of these were given to us by God so that we may make rational decisions and be able to converse with one another. Loving your neighbor goes beyond being loving to the ones you love and tolerating the ones you don’t. Jesus says that “If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way.” (Lk 12:58). We live with other people in a society, and the more people, the more complicated it can become living with one another if we do not have a spirit of love. Here Jesus is calling us to be in the present moment, to understand that love does not live in the past or in the future, but true love is the present because this is where God dwells. God is ever present with us and we catch ourselves asking ‘where was God in this or that’ when really we are called to look at the present moment and find out how we can experience our God that is with us now.

Reflection: What in the past or the future do I need to let go of to experience the present moment?

Lord God, thank you for today and everyday. Thank you for the abundance of grace and mercy you give me. Please Lord, allow my heart to be open to the present moment. Let me see everything I do today as a prayer towards you oh God. Send forth your Spirit, that I might not dwell on the past, or worry about the future, but be ever present with you right now. I pray, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

Resource: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102618.cfm