Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Or Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Matthew 12: 38-42
Reading the Signs of God

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of a generation that asks for signs, yet fails to recognise the One who stands before them. How often this reflects our own hearts! We seek answers, we search for proof, but overlook the quiet, loving presence of God already at work in our lives.

To live wisely, we must learn to discern—to choose well, to recognise what comes from God and what does not. Discernment is a path. It requires prayer, signs, and dialogue. We pray not to escape the world, but to see it clearly through God’s eyes. We watch for signs—not magical solutions, but gentle nudges of grace. And we seek counsel, because the journey is not meant to be walked alone. Two hearts discerning together can hear God’s voice more clearly.

Jesus warns of an “evil generation” not to condemn, but to awaken. When we live only for ourselves—complaining, controlling, never satisfied—we close ourselves to the life God wants to give. We become blind to beauty, deaf to wisdom, and trapped in fear. But today, we are invited to see with new eyes, to receive the gift of a fuller, freer life.

God continues to send prophets. Sometimes they look like strangers, sometimes like friends. They may speak hard truths or offer gentle encouragement. They are God’s messengers, inviting us to grow, to change, to begin again. And we, too, are called to be prophets—gentle lights for others, signs of mercy, hands that heal, voices that comfort.

Let us embrace and accompany. Let us be unafraid to love, to touch wounds, to lift the fallen. Like St. Francis who embraced the leper, let us be signs—not of judgment, but of God’s tenderness. This is what our world needs. And this is what Jesus shows us.

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Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025