Today’s readings can be found here. Read Fr. Epicoco’s brief reflections on the daily Mass readings, Monday through Saturday, here. For Sunday Mass reading commentary from Fr. Rytel-Andrianik, see here.
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” Today’s Gospel opens with a harsh statement from Jesus, exposing a temptation that’s almost always present at our door: that of looking for signs, not so we can convert but only as an excuse for taking more time to do so.
In fact, many times we put off big decisions waiting for something to happen to convince us to make those decisions. But the sign that the Lord has given us is our conscience, our heart, the little things scattered throughout our daily life that very often contain the way out of the many bad situations in which we find ourselves.
The Lord doesn’t use impressive things to urge us to do the right thing, but rather little things that should make us reflect and can humbly show us what we really should do. But we pretend not to see them, not to understand, perhaps taking the position of waiting for something else that will never come.
What else do we need to really decide to change our lives? In fact, we should need nothing more than the simple Gospel with its disarming simplicity, and with its humble light. We shouldn’t wait for fireworks, but instead open our eyes to what’s already there. We need to ask the Lord to give us the discernment we need to recognize that light, and the strength required to put into practice what He is leading us to.
~
Father Luigi Maria Epicoco is a priest of the Aquila Diocese and teaches Philosophy at the Pontifical Lateran University and at the ISSR ‘Fides et ratio,’ Aquila. He dedicates himself to preaching, especially for the formation of laity and religious, giving conferences, retreats and days of recollection. He has authored numerous books and articles. Since 2021, he has served as the Ecclesiastical Assistant in the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and columnist for the Vatican’s daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano.
