Dear Fathers, Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
Romans 1:1-7
Palm 98:1bcde, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Luke 11:29-32
We have not changed with the times.
In the gospel reading for today, the people were looking for a "sign" to give them assurance about God. Do we not do the same today? For instance we find reassurance from rainbows, butterflies, or even pennies on the road that there is a life beyond and that we are connecting with someone who has predeceased us. Christ told the people that "No sign will be given except the sign of Jonah." (Luke 11:30) We know that Jonah spent three days in the belly of a whale. That depicts for us the three days after the crucifixion, before the resurrection of Christ. What greater sign do we need?
It is a human trait to seek reassurance, to know that we are on the right path. A collegue Priest of mine cared for an elderly nun years ago who had mental deterioration.
She constantly asked him to "steer her down the straight path." She was alert enough to know there was a "straight path" and needed reassurance that she was on it.
Our challenge is not unlike hers. We cannot constantly be seeking signs to reassure ourselves that we are doing what God asks of us, but we can consciously and constantly be working on our own salvation as well as that of others.
We have only one life to live. Let us, with the help of God, do it right!
Father Ed Bakker
Anglican Catholic Church/ Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo in the Central Goldfields
Australia
Anglican Catholic Church/ Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo in the Central Goldfields
Australia
