February 15, 2021

St. Claude de la Colombiere, SJ

Mk 8: 11-13

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

Recognizing the signs of God’s love

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees try to test Jesus by asking for a sign from heaven. Apparently, they missed the feeding of the masses, casting out demons, and healings that are recounted in the chapters of Mark’s Gospel that precede this exchange. After all of these signs and miracles, it’s no wonder that their demand causes an exasperated Jesus to sigh “deeply in his spirit.”  As a teacher, I’m familiar with this sigh. It’s a sigh of frustration, vexation, exhaustion. It’s a “why can’t you just [listen, see, understand, trust, accept, appreciate]?” sigh. Signs of God’s love are all around us. It is up to us to open our eyes and our hearts to recognize and appreciate them. 

What keeps you from recognizing or appreciating these signs?  Who have you made “sigh deeply” by failing to recognize or appreciate them or all they do? How can you show your recognition of or appreciation for that person and their work?

—Jackie Schulte is the Dean of Faculty Formation and a history teacher at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska. 

 

Prayer

Grant me, O Lord,
to see everything now with new eyes,
to discern and test the spirits
that help me read the signs of the times,
to relish the things that are yours,
and to communicate them to others.
Give me the clarity of understanding that you gave Ignatius.
Amen 

—Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ

Please share the Good Word with your friends!