In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks about discerning the “signs of the times” be it the signs of the weather or the signs of God at work in the present time:
“Jesus also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain—and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot—and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Luke 12:54-56)
The crowds can read the earth and sky to interpret and forecast the weather, but they seem unable to recognized and interpret what is happening in their midst as Jesus heals, drives out demons and teaches with authority. Jesus is showing to them the one true God, the God who is rich in mercy and welcoming all, especially the poor, the outcast, and the sinner. Will they recognize God’s presence in their midst?
The church always needs to interpret the “signs of the times.” The Pastoral Constitution of the Second Vatican Council recognizes it missions to carry on the work of Christ and therefore the need to interpret the “signs of the times.”
“Inspired by no earthly ambition, the Church seeks but a solitary goal: to carry forward the work of Christ under the lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to be served.
To carry out such a task, the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation, she can respond to the perennial questions which men ask about this present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other. We must therefore recognize and understand the world in which we live, its explanations, its longings, and its often dramatic characteristics. Some of the main features of the modern world can be sketched as follows.” (“Gaudium et Spes,” ##3,4).
So today we as a parish and as a church need to interpret the signs of our time” in the light of the Gospel. Where is God present in our midst and what is God calling us to do?
Image: “Storm Clouds with Breaking Light” generated by Google AI on 10/21/26.