Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent
Jonah 3:1-10 | Psalm 50(51):3-4,12-13,18-19 | Luke 11:29-32
‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah.’ (Luke 11:29)
“Show me a sign, Lord, show me a sign!”
That has to be one of the most common requests to the Holy Trinity. It’s also often followed rather quickly by “Oh, there it is! Thank you, Lord!”, followed by loved ones going “Wait, what are you doing? Are you NUTS?!?!”
Such is a typical Catholic reaction to adversity or impasse: We ask for a sign, then we go gaga over the first thing that comes to our attention, mentally twisting and squeezing it into some semblance of our current situation. After all, we asked for it, we got it instantly, so it must be from God, right?
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I used to think that too, but not any more. Now, I’m convinced that God already knows what I need to see and know about my current situation, and that His signs have already been planted around me.
Sometimes it’s a literal sign like this one, on the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) in Spain:
What a welcome sight that was to me, a pilgrim growing weary on the road to Santiago de Compostela. DON’T STOP NOW! A fitting exhortation to the faithful.
Or it could be something more subtle, like a chance remark by a presenter during a seminar on data science in investing last evening. It actually confirmed that the direction that my business partner and I were heading in with our own project was actually sound, and still had room for growth.
It also got me choking on the water I was sipping, so my business partner started thumping me on the back. He also gave me The Look that said “I know what you’re thinking, because I’m thinking it too”, so I knew I wasn’t misinterpreting what the presenter said.
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I rarely ask God for a sign any more. I believe that it’s my responsibility to keep my eyes and mind open to everything happening around me, letting my surroundings inform me constantly. instead of burying my head in my iPad or some other distraction.
When I ask the Almighty for a sign now, it’s in itself an indication that I’m in despair, as I was in the runup to Christmas last year. When that happens, I usually revert to the typical “first thing that catches my attention wins the prize” mentality. That may lead me astray in time.
Lord, help me pay attention to the wonders You have wrought around me, and to glorify You for them all the time, not just when I feel that I need You. Amen.
