The Fourth Monday of Lent

Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.

Sometimes God answers our prayers of petition, but He only does so when what we request is both good for us and in alignment with His Divine Plan. He will never give us something that will harm us or lead us away from Him. This is why when we pray we should not just ask for something from God, but also be open to listening to Him so that we can know what He is asking us to do with our lives. Prayer is meant to be a two way street. If all we do is flood God with requests, but never listen to His inspirations, then we lose out on opportunities to grow in our relationship with Him. If we open our ears to Him, He will speak to us through our conscience and our thoughts. He will give us the wisdom to live our lives in accordance with His Will without having to seek signs and wonders. The only sign we need is the cross. The only wonder we need is to know Jesus died for us and by his death he has given us all the opportunity to live with the Heavenly Father forever and forever. All we have to do is believe and follow the Way Jesus laid out before us.

How do we pray? Do we listen to God during and after our prayers so He can speak to us through our thoughts? Are our hearts, minds, and ears open to God’s inspirations?

O Lord, you are the only sign we need.

Amen.