Signs of Nature and Signs of God!

Friday, October 23, 2026

Eph 4: 1-6; Lk 12: 54-59

Today’s Gospel highlights the distinction between the signs of nature and the signs of God.

Though the Gospel can be viewed in two parts, we may stick to the first part, in which Jesus explains the ‘spiritual inertia’ through the weather metaphor. 

Jesus highlights the irony that his audience can easily read the signs of nature, though it is usually difficult. However, they struggle hard to understand his truth, though he is there in their midst preaching and healing. In other words, they know what others do not know. But as regards the truth of Christ, even what the Gentiles understand, they fail to grasp.

Jesus exposes their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness. The Lord was actively ministering among them, though they only ‘saw’ him without understanding. His teaching called them to love and forgiveness. In fact, the second part of today’s Gospel is on reconciliation. Nevertheless, they were not ready to be challenged by the radicality of Jesus’ message. 

In their unwillingness towards Jesus’ message, what we detect is their desire to fashion a God who would act according to their preferences rather than allowing God to transform them. Indeed, they were close to Jesus outwardly while their hearts were quite far from the person and his message. They failed to experience Jesus as a transforming presence.

For people who can read signs of nature, reading the signs of God need not become difficult or complicated. Jesus demands change. His message invites us to reconciliation. His mission exemplified love. Our encounters with Jesus are very powerful to make a difference in the way we live if we look at Jesus and his message through the eyes of faith.

Let us pray that our recognition of the signs of God may result in our conversion. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar