Reflection for Monday, July 21, 2003: 16th week in Ordinary Time.

Abstract

The gospel reading for today is almost overshadowed by the seemingly transparent reference to the Resurrection, but the Resurrection has almost nothing to do with the point that Jesus is making. The question at issue centers on the demand for a sign and Jesus' refusal to simply work a wonder for these people as if he were some sort of performing animal.||It is not as if Jesus were unwilling to heal and lift people up, but as he stresses so often, such acts are a matter of faith, an aid to honest seekers of God's love. He has, after all, already performed a number of "signs," and one more miracle is not going to overcome someone's refusal to see and believe.|As for us, we are in the same position as the scribes and Pharisees here: God has shown us in any number of ways how he loves us and cares for us, but God is subtle and gentle, not overwhelming, and we need to seek him in prayer and patience, in hope and in trust. We cannot expect one act, insight, or moment in which we are finally and totally able to give ourselves to the Lord. It is a matter of faith and patience, of awaiting God's revelation of himself when and as he judges best.