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Master·evangeli.net

Today's Gospel + short theological explanation

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
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Gospel text (Lk 11:29-32): While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation..."

Humility ("grievers" learn to see)

EDITORIAL TEAM evangeli.net (based on texts by Benedict XVI) (Città del Vaticano, Vatican)

Today, there are still those who —on behalf of the "objectivity" of knowledge— demand "a sign" from God. The root of this foolish claim is none other than selfishness, an unclean heart, that only expects from God a personal success, the necessary help to determine his own self ("I can measure Him"). This form of religiosity represents a fundamental rejection of the conversion ("He must be my measure").

The humility of silence —Job!— is very important as a first step in wisdom. It is surprising that out of all our complaints against God only a fraction is actually coming from grievers in this world: for they mostly come out of "saturated spectators" who have never suffered. The grievers have learned to see! In this world, praise comes out of those "furnaces" where so many are ablaze: the story of the "three young men" in the furnace contains a deeper truth than expressed in scholars’ texts.

—Jesus, how many times we ask for a sign while we ignore the conversion! The Cross is the sign!