First reading Romans 7:18-25
Every time I want to do good it is something evil that comes to hand
I know of nothing good living in me – living, that is, in my unspiritual self – for though the will to do what is good is in me, the performance is not, with the result that instead of doing the good things I want to do, I carry out the sinful things I do not want. When I act against my will, then, it is not my true self doing it, but sin which lives in me.
In fact, this seems to be the rule, that every single time I want to do good it is something evil that comes to hand. In my inmost self I dearly love God’s Law, but I can see that my body follows a different law that battles against the law which my reason dictates. This is what makes me a prisoner of that law of sin which lives inside my body.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Responsorial Psalm 118(119):66,68,76-77,93-94
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me discernment and knowledge
for I trust in your commands.
You are good and your deeds are good;
teach me your statutes.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your love be ready to console me
by your promise to your servant.
Let your love come and I shall live
for your law is my delight.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
I will never forget your precepts
for with them you give me life.
Save me, for I am yours
since I seek your precepts.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Gospel Luke 12:54-59
Do you not know how to interpret these times?
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times?
‘Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny.’
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Seeing God in everthing
In today’s gospel, Jesus recognised that His listeners knew how to watch the sky and interpret the weather that they would face. However, He lamented that they failed to perceive and acknowledge the greatest sign of God’s presence in their midst. Due to their stubborn hearts, they could not recognise that God was acting in and through the person of Jesus.
Today, like the contemporaries of Jesus, we can look at the sky and predict whether it will be rainy or sunny. However, there are moments in life when we struggle to interpret the signs of times. In this Covid 19 pandemic, we look at what is happening around us, and we question: What is going on? When will it end? Where is God in all this? As people rooted in faith, we are called to be sure of one thing, i.e. God is with us and in us. He continues to be present in the Scripture, nature, people, events, etc. and thus, we are never alone. May we never lose sight of His presence in our midst and find the strength and hope that we need in Him.
Question for reflection:
Do I recognise the signs of God’s presence today?
Do I recognise the signs of God’s presence today?
