In today’s Gospel Jesus challenges the people to recognize the “signs of the times” just as they can recognize the signs of the weather:
“When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain…and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot…”
“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?”
The Second Vatican Council echoed Jesus’ call to recognize the signs of our time:
“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 people 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.” (Gaudium et Spes, #4)
This Council Document with the Latin title, Gaudium et spes (“Joy and Hope”), begins with these words:
“The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” (Gaudium et spes, “#1).
In the midst of the joys and hopes of our present time we are called to help people to see that God is indeed in their midst: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). As the Council states we need to proclaim the Kingdom of God in “language intelligible to each generation” so that the church “can respond to the perennial questions which people ask about this present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other.”
As we look at the clouds and winds today, we dress accordingly for the weather. As we look at our world, our community, and our daily life at home, school, and work what signs of we seeing? How can we help people see the signs of God’s presence in our own time?
Image: “clouds 4” by Denis Fox is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.