Reading the Signs of the Times
How do we look at our present age? How do we interpret what we see in the world today?
Jesus speaks to us (see today’s gospel) of how we know that when we see certain things in the weather, we know what is coming. Where I live, when the wind is from the south, we know it could get warmer because it is almost always warmer to the north. When we see certain types of clouds, we know it is likely to rain.
Jesus then says, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”
What do we see in the present time? Among other things, we continue to see wars. Unfortunately, wars are nothing new but we do well to pray about the nature of war and what we can do to bring an end to wars.
We also see a lot of violence. We see more mass shootings and we wonder why. Why are people committing these shootings? We think the problem certainly can’t be our fault. This is especially true when we can say that these shootings always happen someplace else. We assume our innocence. Actually, in today’s world of radical individualism and relativism, we define ourselves to be right. So, we think the fault has to come from someplace or someone else.
We see the signs of the times but we fail to interpret them through the light of faith. You might say how do I fail here? We do so when we look at it only as we see things ourselves. Our faith calls us to take a broader view, a view that calls us to be in solidarity with one another, loving our neighbor.
Many people today take their point of view for granted. Sometimes we do this knowingly while at other times we just don’t see a bigger picture. We don’t see things as God sees them.
For instance, do we understand that some mass shootings happen because of difference of worldviews and the shooter sees themselves as right? If relativism is correct and there is no truth, then how can anyone possibly say that the shooter has done anything wrong?
Of course, there is a way to know that what the shooter is wrong, but it requires us to look beyond ourselves and to accept that there is at least some truth.
I think shootings also involve the problem of the loss of respect for life that we see in abortion, euthanasia, and not caring for the needs of the poor and the hungry. Or that thinking that people are in prison because they are no good. If we say life can be ended at the convenience of another in abortion or euthanasia, it opens a slippery slope to judge other killings. If we don’t respect the lives of others (the shooters), then we should expect them to respect anyone else’s life.
I could go on with this perspective but I would like to shift to another challenge. I spoke of interpreting the signs of the times in the light of faith. Do you decide what you believe on issues like abortion and LGBT ideology and then expect your faith to conform to that? That doesn’t really seem like faith to me.
Rather, if we believe in God as the one who is all-knowing and our creator, then we know and believe that He is wiser than us. We conform our personal beliefs to what He teaches. In doing so, our faith shapes what we believe, not the other way around.
Yet, there are some people who don’t do this. They see traditional Judeo-Christian values as outdated. I don’t understand how they judge them to be outdated other than they are contrary to what they (want to) believe. Some may argue from a perspective of modern psychology and/or sociology. Why? What makes them see psychology and sociology as right over what God says?
If God is all-knowing, then psychology and sociology cannot replace him because psychology and sociology are determined by humans.
So, it leaves me wondering what their concept of God is. Is God all-knowing to them or is God just the innkeeper of Heaven where they want to spend eternity? Do they separate faith from morality? Is God just someone they expect to fix their problems the way they want?
Who is God to you? Do you believe that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life? If you answer yes, then listen to him and follow him.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff