Signs

“‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’” (Luke 17:20).

Christ Our Pilot (Warner Sallman)

I have been reading about a transatlantic boat race.  The boats were racing and one of the racing teams decided on a strategy to help them to secure the victory.  They decided to send false communications about their route.  They allowed these false communications to be intercepted by their competitors, and in this way they managed to trick their competitors into thinking that they were doing one thing when in fact they were doing something else.  This allowed the team to obtain a winning advantage through deception and meant that they were able to secure victory.  The problem with this strategy is that the following year, the racing teams could not rely on any radio communications and as a result became completely lost.  It was a lose-lose so to speak…

And this reminds me of hoe the Evil One works.  It is all about deception.  We are led astray because we want to win and we think that the sin will be okay and the price will be worthwhile.  After all, the Evil One is very clever at convincing us that the sin is no bog deal, and at the same time, he convinces us that the consequence is the end of the world and worth despairing of our loving God’s ability to forgive.  Many a small child is completely unashamed by the sin itself but terribly mortified by the necessity of confessing the sin.

And that is evidence of those false communications.  After all, how is it that the sin is not shameful, but repentance of that sin is shameful?

“‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’ And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, 'Lo, there!' or 'Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them...But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.’” (Luke 17:20-25).

Saint John Henry Newman wrote, “Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.”  And I have been reflecting on this also.  Because it is only possible to hold firm in faith if we understand that we cannot listen to the radio signals that may be leading us astray.  We need to understand who is directing us and why and where to.  And once that information is firmly understood then we have no chance at all of making a mistake about it and we can follow the Word and Will of God.

And I have been thinking about this today because I think that the only way to be sure is to pay attention to the signs.  Because God provides them for us – all the time.  And if I would only pay attention I would be able to receive instruction from my Beloved…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.