Sign of the Time
"He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"
I used to run a lot. And in Florida that means running in the rain at times. The thing is, I actually love running in the rain. It's a refreshing cool down when you're hot and tired and yet want to press on.
But that all goes out the window when there's lightning. Over the years, there have been multiple occasions when I've found myself in the middle of a thunderstorm, running a lot faster than I thought I could. But that was my own fault. I rarely checked the weather before leaving. And when I did notice a storm coming, I was never too keen on letting it stop me. I was not so wise.
Jesus, in our Gospel reading, is speaking to those who knew how to read the signs of the weather and wisely heed their warnings. But he used their diligence in that regard to rebuke them for their lack of attention to the sign of the present time.
Jesus' own arrival was the clearest sign that the Kingdom had come near because the King himself was present. But sadly most of those whom he preached to somehow missed that truth. It's as if the darkest clouds hung low in the air just overhead, yet those under the shade of such a squall kept jogging without heeding nature's obvious warnings.
Now, I've never been one for promoting end times speculation based on current events. I've found such a focus to be often escapist and a distraction from our mission in the world. But what is the application for us when we hear Jesus telling the Jews of his day to read the signs of the present time?
Well, if Jesus' presence marked the sign of the times for his first coming, then we as the Church should be the sign for his second. Think about it. We go forth in his name, a kingdom of priests, bearing the image of God, empowered by his Hoy Spirit within us. Our very presence, Jesus said, should be as salt and light in the world. When we allow the Lord to fill us, lead us, and use us, we become a sign to the world that God is real, at work among his people, and in the process of restoring all things.
Thinking about it this way moves us from escapist thinking that seeks to be saved from the world, to an engaging faith, which recognizes that we are saved for the world.
So let's do that, friends. As the Church, let's be a sign of the time, exhibiting Christ in word and deed to a world that needs to know him and experience his love through us – his people.
Fr. Darin+