SPIRITUAL LIVING
Prayer and Devotions
Encountering a Sign
by Father José LaBoy, LC
Resolution: Today, seek Jesus and ask him how he wants you to act in every situation.
February 13, 2008
Wednesday of the first week of Lent
Luke 11:29-32
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here."
Introductory Prayer: Dear Jesus, I believe in you because you became man in order to reveal the Father to us. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t really know him. I hope in you because you are present in my life. You let me encounter you, and you help me understand that I am called to encounter you in the fullest sense possible. I love you because you have loved me first, and you allow me to experience your love more deeply each day.
Petition: Lord, help me to value you in such a way that my actions reflect your love.
1. Distrust The people Jesus was speaking to in this Gospel passage did not trust in him. They did not open their hearts to him, and that is why they could neither understand nor value him. They wanted him to do things in the way they thought he should do them. We should avoid any temptation to follow this attitude. The people asked for a sign, but Jesus will give them no other sign than his Resurrection. He was aware that these people were like the brothers in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31).
2. Recognizing Christ’s Greatness Jesus speaks of two Old Testament figures very much respected by his listeners. Yet Jesus is greater than they because he is not only man, but also the Son of God. We all admire certain people because of their personalities or qualities. By what criteria do we value one person over another? Isn’t it the fact that his or her personality and qualities suggest a more perfect living of what it means to be human? Upon taking on our human nature, Christ showed us how to live our humanity in the fullest and most perfect way. Pope John Paul II loved to quote Number 22 of Vatican II’s Gaudium et Spes: Christ “fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.”
3. Taking Christ Seriously The queen of the south took Solomon’s wisdom seriously and made a long and dangerous journey to go and listen to him. The Ninevites took Jonah and his message seriously and repented. In both these cases the people’s actions were determined by their encounter with another person. If we take Christ seriously, we will want to know him and encounter him. We have privileged moments and places to do this: at Holy Mass and in front of the tabernacle. Our encounter will, if it is authentic, move us to respond to Christ’s greatness with our actions.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, you know that there are situations in life that sometimes may make me not trust in you fully. It is so easy to see things from my own point of view. Help me to see things as you see them. Help me develop a “spiritual sense” that will allow me to see you in the different aspects of my life.
Resolution: Today I will seek Jesus and ask him how he wants me to act in every situation.
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