Clarence Devadass

As we celebrate World Day of the Poor, let’s keep the theme in mind… “Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor” (Tb 4,7)

When in Brussels….
Belgian fries ☑️
Belgian waffles ☑️

Work has started @ Workshop on Vatican II: Legacy and Mandate.

Years before joining the seminary, I watched the movie ‘Damien, the L***r Priest’ and was moved by his life. Fr Damien (1840-1889) went to work among the lepers in the island of Molokai. He later contracted leprosy and died. Today I had to opportunity to visit his final resting place at the crypt in the Chapel of St Anthony, Leuven.

Sunday Mass with the Catholic English Speaking Community of Leuven at the Chuch of Sint-Kwinten, Leuven, Belgium 🇧🇪

Getting ready for the concluding Mass to be presided by Pope Francis 🙏🏼

Today is an “off day” for the Synod delegates. A day to rest as we prepare to move towards finalising the synthesis report.

I was invited on Saturday afternoon (21/10) to join the members of the International Young Christian Workers team for Mass at the Catacombs of Domitilla.

An amazing experience speaking to Colleen Dulle and Gerry O’Connell on Inside the Vatican podcast this afternoon about the Synod experience and Church in Asia.

A great experience of being able to visit the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and the gardens during the lunch break.

Today, on the Feast of St Luke (18 Oct 2023), we begin Module 3 on Participation, Governance, Authority. Please continue to pray for all Synod delegates

Attending Sunday Mass the Church of the Gesù. Blessed Sunday everyone.

As Synod delegates, we made a pilgrimage to the catacombs yesterday (12/10) remembering the difficult life of the early church. Many of them gave their lives for the faith.

Sunday gelato near the Pantheon… much needed break 😋

Synod Day 3: it was a day to listen to the reports of the different groups and also many other individuals. All the reports talked about the hopes and aspirations for a synodal church. At the same time, there are fears and concerns about what the future might hold for the church. Adsumus Sancte Spiritus 🙏🏼 (Picture: Bronze sculpture of “The Resurrection” - Backdrop work of art behind the stage in Paul VI Audience Hall)

Synod Day 3: Before the meeting began this morning, I had the opportunity to greet and exchange a few words with Pope Francis.

Synod Day #2. Today in small groups, each was given the opportunity to share their “synodal experiences “ employing the method of conversations in the Spirit. It was very encouraging to hear the diversity of experiences. (Picture: Entrance, Paul VI Hall)

Good morning from the Basilica of St Peter, Vatican City. We are getting ready for the opening Mass shortly with Pope Francis.

Day #3 of the retreat. The focus today (3/10) is on ‘authority in the church’. There is still a long way to achieve the ideal but it’s good to know that we are on the synodal pathway.

Day 2 of the Spiritual Retreat in preparation of the Synod on Synodality. The themes we focused on yesterday were fear, hope, and home. Today is about friendship. The amazing inputs given by Fr Timothy Radcliffe are also available to you online at Vatican News (www.vaticannews.va)

Today (1 Oct) all delegates to the Synod start a 3-day retreat in preparation for the Synod gathering that begins on 4 Oct. The retreat is animated by Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP. Kindly keep us in your prayers 🙏🏼

The Syond begins with an Ecumenical Prayer this evening. There are young people making a walking pilgrimage from the Basilica of St John Lateran to St Peter’s Square. You can follow the Ecumenical Prayer via https://synod.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0fbbeecffe9831bf1ef67a4a&id=1cd32f6305&e=05db2282be

Starting the day with attending the Consistory 🙏🏼

First stop for prayer each time in Rome @ St Peter’s Basilica 🙏🏼

Pontifical French Seminary (https://www.seminairefrancais.org), the place I will be housed together with few other delegates for the duration of the Synod in Rome.

Time to walk around, stretch the legs, and a hot drink before the next leg of the journey 🙏🏼

It’s finally here…. Tomorrow I will begin my journey to Rome for the Synod on
Synodality. (4-29 Oct 2023).
Given that this is a pivotal event for the Universal church and a lifetime experience , I will be posting daily brief updates on my “pages” and not on my “profile” Click here Clarence Devadass and press “follow”. Let me take you with me into the Synod.

Join us this evening (17/9) at 7:00 pm:

bit.ly/JoinWebinarSynod

Selamat Hari Malaysia 🇲🇾

𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝟏𝟕 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)
𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟏𝟖:𝟐𝟏-𝟑𝟓
Fr Clarence Devadass

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” – words that we pray when we say the Lord’s prayer. Despite the fact that these words often flow through our lips easily, forgiveness is one of the most difficult traits that is asked of a disciple of Jesus. I recall reading an article some time ago that states, that forgiveness is the somewhat irrational fear that the person we have forgiven may interpret our forgiveness as “weakness”; and try to hurt us again. As I reflected on these words, I realised how true this is.

The centrality of the gospel this Sunday is the question Peter put to Jesus: “Lord if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Peter must have thought that he was better than others by asking if he should forgive his brother as many as seven times; he may have thought Jesus would be impressed by this apparently generous suggestion. However, the tables are turned.

The great Saint John Chrysostom explains that “seventy-seven times” was a way of saying “always.” Jesus was not giving a specific number to the times we must forgive; rather He was saying that forgiveness must be offered forever and always, without limit. Is this even humanly possible?

There are several ways in which we can reflect on the theme of forgiveness. Perhaps for this Sunday, let’s just focus on two key aspects. Primarily, forgiveness is about us and not about the person who hurt or harmed us. We often think that to forgive is to forget or even to pretend nothing ever happened. There is the fear that people may see us as “soft”, take advantage, or continue to hurt us.

However, the first step in forgiveness is to overcome our fear. Fear inhibits us from the inner freedom to worship God in all His glory. There will always be this nagging feeling that we have not reconciled with God: “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Secondly, to forgive is to give up the right to seek revenge. Revenge may not be a physical retaliation but revenge can also show its ugly side when we 'bad mouth' (gossip) this person to others or even wait for the other person to make a mistake so that we can point it out to others. Revenge is never the way of a disciple. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38-39).

The parable we hear in the gospel today also reminds us of how forgiving God is towards us, sinners. The letter to the Romans tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Yet, God’s infinite love always offers us a “second chance”. God breaks the cycle of vengeance and retaliation that is created by sin as He forgives us for our repeated failings.

When we appreciate the experience of being forgiven, accordingly our capacity to forgive others too must expand. Forgiveness is both the result of God’s generous action and a condition to follow Him. “If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive” (Saint Mother Teresa).

If we really want to be healed of the hurt done to us, then there is no other way but to learn to forgive because forgiveness is the healing balm and the key to happiness. Most of all, forgiveness honours God.

🙏

𝟐𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝟑 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)
𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟏𝟔:𝟐𝟏-𝟐𝟕
Fr Clarence Devadass

For most of us, two things about the gospel this Sunday would most likely catch our attention. The first is Jesus rebuking Simon Peter for being an obstacle to him going to Jerusalem; the second is Jesus telling his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me’. Both these moments are connected one to the other. Jesus has made it clear that the time has come for him to disclose publicly to the world who he is.

Ironically, how he would demonstrate the Father’s glory was not how the disciples had hoped. They expected Jesus to gain power over the Romans, and the disciples would have positions of honour. But Jesus would turn the tables and show the Father’s glory in a way no one expected.

Hearing Jesus say that to follow him, we must take up the cross is quite scary for most of us. The cross is often associated with pain, suffering, and death, and this is because the only time in the year when we give great importance to the cross in our liturgy is on Good Friday. The whole focus is on the passion and death of Jesus, and therefore, the cross is often associated with pain and suffering. No one wants pain and suffering in their lives; we try our best to avoid them at all costs.

However, there is another aspect of the cross that we often forget, and perhaps it is this that we need to look at when we hear today Jesus telling us to ‘pick up your cross’. Yes, at the time of Jesus, the cross was a sign of punishment. But God takes that sign and transforms it into something else. What was a sign of the most painful and shameful death used to punish slaves, pirates, and enemies of the state, God transforms it into a symbol of victory.

God used the cross to show victory over sin, death, unforgiveness, and anything else from Satan – the cross is where our sin is paid for, and the devil is conquered. In other words, through the self-sacrifice of Jesus, God’s love for each of us is manifested. The cross has now been transformed into a powerful sign of divine love.

In this light, carrying the cross means carrying the transformed symbol, which is love, and not the symbol understood by the Romans, which is pain and suffering. If we are to carry the cross as required by Jesus, it is about bringing in us the signs of life and love that come from the unconditional love of God for each one of us. There is a saying, ‘Wear your heart on your sleeve’, which means to make your feelings and emotions obvious rather than hiding them. In being invited by Jesus to pick up our cross and follow him, he tells us to ‘wear the cross on your sleeve’.

In the Second Reading today, St. Paul tells us not to model our lives on the world's behaviour but to be modelled after God, who gives us life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples, ‘Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’ (Matthew 5:16). Therefore, pick up the cross, wear it on your sleeve, and show the world God’s love – this is Christian discipleship.

𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝟐𝟕 𝐀𝐮𝐠 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)
𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟏𝟔:𝟏𝟑-𝟐𝟎
Fr Clarence Devadass

I recently received a YouTube clip entitled ‘Who is Jesus: A Bible Story for Children’ (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH5HIPl0hRo). In that 2-minute clip, children try to describe who Jesus is. Many of them define Him by His physical attributes, for example, He has a beard, wears a robe, long blackish-brown hair. There are those who also describe Him by His character, for example, He is kind, cares for us, etc., etc. It is interesting how children experience Jesus in the most innocent and naïve form but yet see in Him something special.

In the gospel today, Jesus poses to His disciples the most fundamental question of all, ‘Who do you say I am?’. However, the question was preceded by Jesus asking His disciples what people were saying about Him. Even though Jesus already knew the answer, He sought to draw from His disciples a kind of commitment that would define not only their relationship with Jesus but it was going to be the inspiration that propels them to mission under harsh conditions.

Two Sundays ago, we heard how Peter stepped out of the boat in an attempt to walk on water towards Jesus. As soon as he became aware of the rough waters, he panicked and began to sink. Jesus reprimands him for being of little faith. However, in this conversation, we hear Peter boldly proclaiming Jesus to be the Christ and the Son of the living God.

If Jesus posed this question today, how would we answer? Perhaps our answer would be similar to that of Peter… you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. However, crucially, what would the implications of our answer be? Saying that Jesus is the Christ or the Son of the living God is not very difficult and we do this with ease when we make the profession of faith.

More importantly, when Jesus asks ‘who do you say I am’, He is actually asking what influence does He have in our lives; He is asking what changes has your faith in Him brought about in your daily life. The question has nothing to do with how much we know who Jesus is but how much of an impact has that knowledge of Jesus be seen in our lives.

The two questions posed by Jesus were by no means to test the disciples on how much they knew about Jesus after having been with Him for a period of time. This was about commitment. When Peter answers ‘You are the Christ’, he commits himself to Jesus more fully, and to him, Jesus entrusts authority over the Church on earth – the Church’s rock foundation!

From having reprimanded Peter for having little faith, Jesus now commends him by saying, You are a happy man [you are blessed]. To be “blessed” is to be in a state of true happiness and in this context, to have encountered Jesus. How blessed are we that God has revealed Jesus to us as the Saviour, Lord, and Messiah? It is by no means a coincidence, but that we may commit ourselves to bear witness to Him.

As we make our profession of faith at Mass this Sunday, let us commit ourselves once again. Not just to a personal belief but to allow Jesus to be the difference in our actions.

𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝟐𝟎 𝐀𝐮𝐠 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)
𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟏𝟓:𝟐𝟏-𝟐𝟖
Fr Clarence Devadass

Many of us when growing up, were taught never to speak rudely to anyone. Being rude would always be a reflection of one’s upbringing. Eric Hotter, an American moral and social philosopher wrote, “rudeness is a weak man’s imitation of strength”. Being polite is a wise thing because kindness can indeed move even a stubborn heart.

A quick glance at today’s gospel reading could lead us to ask, why was Jesus rude to the Canaanite woman who pleaded with Him to heal her daughter. Nowhere else in the gospels do we see Jesus outrightly refusing to heal any person who came to Him. What makes this worst is that He equates this situation with feeding house dogs. Taken out of context, it’s easy to mistake this for an insult. In the flow of the story, however, it’s clear Jesus is creating a metaphor meant to explain the priorities of His ministry. He is also teaching an important lesson to His disciples.

During the time of Jesus, it was known that the Jews sometimes referred to the Gentiles as “dogs”. Possibly because the non-Jews were so unspiritual that even being in their presence could make a person “unclean”. Jesus wasn’t referring to the Canaanite woman as a “dog,” either directly or indirectly. What actually happened is that Jesus took this commonly used Jewish insult and transformed it by His love as He taught His disciples an important lesson about faith.

We can see this in the way Matthew arranged his gospel ─ just before Jesus’ meeting with this Canaanite woman, it was the account of Jesus walking on water and how Peter was reprimanded for having little faith and started sinking as he walked towards Jesus on water. Compared to the experience of Peter and the disciples who lacked faith while battling the rough sea, this woman’s faith is great because it disregards every obstacle thrown at her – she asks; He is silent. She asks two more times, and He says no. She doesn’t care. She just keeps on coming at Jesus.

Finally, she responds by saying, “Lord, even the house dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table”. Her words were not only exceptionally humble but were also based on deep faith and a deep love for her daughter. As a result, Jesus responds with generosity and immediately frees her daughter from the demon.

What we can learn for our spiritual journey from this Sunday’s gospel is two-fold: Firstly, the decision to intervene in the challenges we experience in life entirely belongs to God. And if He does, it is His gift to us. Secondly, formidable faith, which Jesus says can even move mountains, can also move God Himself.

There is much to learn from the Canaanite woman’s faith. She is a model that inspires us to persevere in prayer, even when it seems God is not listening, even when others tell us to give up hope, even when God says things we don’t understand. Prayer is not magic. We don’t control God. We sometimes succumb to chain letters thinking that our material actions of forwarding or multiplying prayers can control God to act. How wrong we are!

Prayer is the means of sustaining a faith that at times can grow weak in times of distress. St Teresa of Calcutta said, “I do not pray for success; I pray for faithfulness.” Even though Jesus refused her at first, the Canaanite woman never lost hope. May we never tire of approaching God in prayer, in the hope that He will surely turn His face towards us.

𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝟔 𝐀𝐮𝐠 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)
𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟏𝟕: 𝟏-𝟗
Fr Clarence Devadass

The feast of the transfiguration that we celebrate today marks the second visible manifestation to humankind of God (theophany) as recorded in the gospels. The first manifestation was at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordon and with the descent of the Holy Spirit, a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you, I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

The gospel today records the journey of Jesus with His disciples Peter, James, and John up to the mountain and as Jesus’ face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the lights, a voice from the cloud was heard saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” The second theophany that we celebrate today serves an important purpose in the journey of the disciples and of the early Church.

In fact, all three synoptic gospels tell the story of the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1-13; Mark 9:3-13; Luke 9:28-36) – frequently a sign of the importance of an event from Jesus’ life for the early Christian community.

The context in which our gospel is taken from today gives us some direction as to its significance. The transfiguration of Jesus as recorded by Matthew occurs six days after a very profound conversation Jesus has with His disciples. This conversation starts off with what seems like an innocent question but turns out to be a profession of faith.

The question to the disciples begins with ‘Who do people say I am?’ and then moves on to ‘Who do you say I am?’. Simon Peter goes on to make the profession of faith as he proclaims, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16). It is here that Jesus now talks about His death to His disciples and once again, Simon Peter at the centre of it all is rebuked by Jesus for being an obstacle to God’s manifestation of His love and glory that will take place on the cross. It’s after these two key moments that the transfiguration takes place.

A cursory reading of the event of the transfiguration could quite easily raise questions like ‘Why did Jesus choose only Peter, James and John?’ or ‘What image did Jesus portray during the moment of the transfiguration?’ or even ‘What is the purpose of Moses and Elijah appearing?’

Though this event could easily raise many more questions just like how St Thomas Aquinas did in his Summa Theologiae by devoting an entire section to the transfiguration, the purpose of the transfiguration of Christ was clear that His disciples who had just professed their faith in Jesus and who perhaps did not fully understand why he had to die, could in a way gain a greater understanding of who Jesus was and behold Him in His glory.

Though they had professed faith in Jesus, the disciples might have only known Him in His human body (humanity) but now had a greater realisation of the divinity of Christ, though they could not fully comprehend it. That gave them the reassurance they needed after hearing the shocking news of Jesus’ imminent death. We can safely assume that the disciples never forgot what happened that day on the mountain and no doubt this was intended.

If the purpose of the transfiguration of Christ was meant to strengthen the faith of the disciples and later also of the early Church, this feast also must have the same effect on us. On that high mountain, Jesus revealed before the eyes of Peter, James, and John who He really is and since then, their lives were not the same again. For each one of us, our “mount of transfiguration” is in the Eucharist.

As Vatican II had reminded us that “the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life”, it is here that we encounter God in the most profound way. Just as Jesus did not want His disciples to build the tents on the mountain and then lead them down the mountain, the Eucharist itself is our encounter with God and it is meant to strengthen our faith so that the lives we lead away from this “mountain” may reflect the profound experience of God we have had.

Often our focus is on the theophany event and we forget that the coming down from the mountain is just as significant. The God experience must transfigure us into being more Christ-like when we go out into our “own world” – the world of our daily lives. Herein lies the challenge: how can I be more Christ-like to one another?

The transfiguration is not just an event of the past to be celebrated; rather an event of the past to be celebrated so that the effects of the celebration transfigures us in the here and now. Let our Eucharist today be one of submitting ourselves to God so that He may transform and transfigure us more and more into the image and likeness of Christ His Son. Our lives must truly resemble this reality because it is for this that we have been chosen, called and now sent – sent as transformed and transfigured persons to renew the face of the earth.

𝟏𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝟏𝟔 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)
𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟏𝟑:𝟏-𝟐𝟑
Fr Clarence Devadass

The parable of the Sower, among the many parables of Jesus must have been an important one because all three, Matthew, Mark and Luke, have recorded them (cf. Matt 13:3-23; Mk 4:3-25; Lk 8:5-18). However, each gospel writer chooses quite differently where to place this parable.

The version that we have today is from the gospel of Matthew. He places this in the context where Jesus had been facing much opposition from the Pharisees: they complained about Jesus’ disciples picking corn on the Sabbath and then about Jesus healing the man with a withered hand, also on the Sabbath. All this infuriated them and they were out to discredit Jesus because He and His disciples did not keep the Mosaic laws. However, there was still a crowd that followed Him wherever He went.

It is in this background that Matthew places the parable of the Sower. Jesus was by the lake and a large crowd had gathered. It is not clear what was the motivation for them to come and seek out Jesus: were they there for healing from illness? Deliverance from evil spirits? Forgiveness of sins? Listen to His words? Or just curious because of His reputation? Jesus recognises that they were probably there for various reasons and saw this as an opportune time to teach them about His mission.

The parable that we have as our gospel passage today, assumes that the seed that fell on good soil will bear fruit. If you are a horticulturist or even a simple gardener, you would know that not only good soil is required for a plant to bear fruits, but what happens between the sowing and the reaping, there is a lot of hard work and care that goes in – watering, fertilising, pruning, and even protecting from harsh weather. It is only when these are done diligently will the seed grow to bear fruit.

Probably most of us who are gathered in churches throughout the world would consider ourselves as the people where the seed fell on good soil and that is why we are observing the Lord’s Day. However, the question that stands before us today is, what do we do to nurture the seeds of faith?

Even though we may be people of faith, and like many other things, there is the possibility of complacency. We could put ourselves within a comfort zone and then faith can quickly turn into purely a set of rules, rituals and repetitive prayer to follow, with no bearing on daily life.

Apart from the Sunday Mass, what else do we do to help nurture the faith? Other than being a passive receiver at Mass, what else do I proactively do to help this faith grow? And presently, if I am already producing a crop thirty times over, should I not now be challenging myself to produce sixty and even a hundred-fold as the gospels tell us? The greatest obstacle to any form of growth, including faith, is mediocrity.

Today we need to further ask ourselves whether, in matters relating to faith, have we put ourselves into a comfort zone and have complacency and mediocrity taken over. This happens quite easily if we allow the pursuits of the world to take over. The next level of this parable is the clarion call to get ourselves out of this comfort zone of mediocrity and complacency – to awake from that slumber.

This call could relate itself back to the parable of the Sower – is it falling on bad soil or good soil? Only each one of us can answer this question truthfully before God. What is your answer going to be today?

𝟏𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝟗 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)
𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟏𝟏:𝟐𝟓-𝟑𝟎
Fr Clarence Devadass

God, show me a sign!” Many of us have said this when confronted with having to make an important decision and not knowing what to choose. When backed into a corner, we give God an ultimatum to tell us what to do or what to choose. However, experience has taught us that there are times when giving God an ultimatum and trying to figure out how God will answer our prayers only breeds disappointment and frustration. Often, His ways are not ours, and His thoughts are not ours. We end up being frustrated.

In the gospel today, we hear Jesus expressing His frustrations. Yet, despite the numerous signs that He performed in public, the people who have witnessed His mighty deeds still lack belief: ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.’ Jesus makes a contrast between the unbelieving Pharisees, who are wise and learned, and the faithful disciples, tax collectors, and sinners with whom Jesus keeps company.

Sometimes we may wonder if it is wrong to ask God for signs when we are conflicted or whether it is all right to give Him an ultimatum. That is the most human thing to do when pushed to the corner. I believe that God always gives us the sign, no matter what, but we fail to recognise Him in the ordinary. We look mainly to the extraordinary for some affirmation.

In teaching His disciples, we see Jesus presenting His way of holiness in an ordinary and uncomplicated way but no less demanding. On the other hand, the Pharisees taught the observance of Mosaic law in a difficult and burdensome way. Through the ordinariness of human life, we can come to know what God wants of us and how we should go about it. In order to see or hear the “signs”, we need to do these three things.

Firstly, we need to STOP. To stop means we need to put aside many of our preoccupations. Every day our lives are filled with a hive and stream of activities. Finding time to put all these aside and wait on the Lord gives us the opportunity to be present to God. If our minds are filled with worry and anxiety, we will never be able to be totally present for God to minister to us. “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalms 27:1)

Secondly, we need to LOOK. To look means to acknowledge that God is always present to us and never abandons us in our hour of need. When our lives are beset with problems, we tend to forget the number of times God has helped us in the past. Look at those moments as to how God blessed you and brought you out of difficult situations. He will do it again. “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

Thirdly, we need to LISTEN. To listen means that we put aside our preferred solution to the problem. We often pray with the solution we want God to do – the perfect recipe for frustration. Turn to His word in Scripture, for He speaks to us through the Scriptures. “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Matthew 13:9)

God may often seem silent to us, but He never sends us away empty-handed. God never does nothing, but our challenge is to be able to do what God wants of us and not so much what we want God to do for us. So, the next time you want to say, “God, show me a sign!” take time away from your busy schedule to stop, look, and listen because it is in that moment that you will truly discover what God wants you to choose or do.