TODAY'S WORD

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Genesis: 4:7 "The Lord said to Cain, ....  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”


TODAY'S REFLECTION

In the 1st reading, God warned Cain that his anger and his ill disposition is like a crouching beast hungering to devour him and cause him to sin.

But Cain did not heed the signs nor check himself. Instead he gave in to his anger and ill disposition and ended up killing his brother Abel.

God always gives us the signs of what is happening within us. God also gives us signs of impending danger.

There is no need to ask for a sign. What we need to ask for is that we be sensitive to the signs that God is giving us.

Then we will know what God is showing us and that we steer clear of danger and that we will always do the good and right thing.

Today’s gospel reading shows a very human side to Jesus. 

He shows exasperation before the Pharisees who ask him for a sign from heaven. 

The evangelist comments ‘with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said “Why does this generation demand a sign?”’ 

Up to this point in Mark’s gospel Jesus had been healing the sick and the broken, welcoming sinners home, feeding multitudes in the wilderness. 

There had been no shortage of signs from heaven for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. 

This was the time to recognize God powerfully at work in Jesus and to believe in him as God’s unique messenger. 

It was not the time to be demanding that Jesus perform more signs from heaven. 

What God had already given through Jesus should have been enough. Because some people, like the Pharisees, were not appreciating all the Lord was doing in their midst, more signs from heaven would serve no purpose.

The gospel reading calls on us to have eyes that see and ears that hear all that the Lord is doing among us, rather than looking for more spectacular expressions of the Lord’s presence and working. In every present moment, the Lord provides us with enough to be getting on with. 

There is much to see and much to hear each day because the Lord is always at work deep within each of us and among us in striking ways. 


RESOLUTION

Let's resolve in our relationship with the Lord, our role is not to demand signs from him but to be open to recognize and receive the signs that are already there.

Have an awesome day and a fruitful week ahead.