Twenty-Ninth Friday of Ordinary Time

“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?”

The world is so familiar to us, so much easier to read and understand than God, but what does our knowledge of it gain us? It might help us to survive, to know how to get ahead in the world, but it does not complete us in the same way that God can. The things of this world might be enjoyable for a moment, but when they are over the pleasure they give dissipates and we are left with an emptiness that cannot be filled by anything other than God. Our Lord is not only the source of our life, but also its sustenance and purpose. We are incomplete when we deny God and instead focus our lives on worldly things. So let us open our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies to God’s Good News so that we might live life more abundantly.

Do we spend more time living according to the signs of the world or walking the path God has prepared for us? Are we focused on passing pleasures or the everlasting love of God? Are we open to the opportunities for grace that God constantly offers us?

O Lord, help us to know your will and lead lives focused on knowing, loving, and serving you and all your children.

Amen.