Monday, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus displays a weariness of spirit in response to the Pharisees’ demand of for a sign from heaven. Surely Jesus had already given them sufficient signs from heaven by healing the sick, communicating God’s forgiveness to sinners, proclaiming the presence of God’s kingdom in word and deed. They clearly wanted a more spectacular sign from Jesus that would make it impossible for them not to believe in him as God’s anointed one. Jesus does not submit to the demand of the Pharisees for such a sign but, rather, leaves them and crosses to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The demand for some kind of clear sign from God is not unique to the Pharisees. At some time in our lives, we can all find ourselves hoping for such a sign, even if we don’t demand one. Especially, if we are trying to discern what the Lord may be asking of us, we often long for some sign that would make the Lord’s will for our lives clearer to us. It is a legitimate and understandable longing. Yet, the response of Jesus to the Pharisees in the gospel reading suggests that the obtaining of clear signs should not be our primary longing. Rather than asking for signs from the Lord, what should we ask for? The first reading from the letter of James suggests what we should ask for. James says there, ‘if there is any one of you who needs wisdom, he must ask God, who gives to all freely and ungrudgingly; it will be given to him’. Wisdom is something we can all pray for, in the expectation that our pray will be heard. We need the wisdom from on high if we are to discern what the Lord may be asking of us. Here is certainly a case of, ‘ask and you will receive, seek and you will find’, in the words of Jesus elsewhere in the gospels.

Parish Website:  www.stjbclontarf.ie   Join us via our webcam
Twitter:  @SJtBClontarf RC
Facebook: @SJtBClontarf
Tumbler: St-John-the-baptist-Clontarf-Rd