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Reflection on the Gospel – Monday, July 21, 2025
Signs can be complicated. What is a very clear sign for some people may mean nothing to others. And for some, it can even be a sign of the opposite. In fact, in Jesus’ time, there were people who believed that the things he did were done with the power of the devil.
I remember that when we were in the seminary, we often talked about giving witness. We used to say that we had to give witness with the way we lived, with how we spoke and behaved. And we criticized the Church and its communities because we felt they weren’t giving true witness to the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus. But we didn’t realize that reality is complex. Giving witness, showing signs, is always a bit unclear. It depends a lot on how the person sees it. And maybe what matters more than the sign is doing what we believe we are called to do. Otherwise, we might end up doing things just to look good, to be seen, to impress others.
Jesus was right. The Jews who asked for a sign to believe in him didn’t really want to believe. No sign would have helped them believe. Because faith is a personal decision. Not even the sign of Jonah, or the wisdom of Solomon, or a miracle that covers the sun at noon will convince those who don’t want to believe. Not even the lives of many Christians today who are giving everything they have to serve their brothers and sisters, especially the poor and those in need. People will still point to the riches of the Church or the sins of some Christians, just to have an excuse not to change their lives, not to accept that the message of the Kingdom is so powerful that it goes far beyond this poor Church that tries to share it. As Paul said: “We carry this treasure in clay jars so that it may be clear that this extraordinary power comes from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
So, like Jesus, we should worry less about what people think or about showing signs, and focus more on doing what we are supposed to do to build the Kingdom. Just like Jesus did.