Rev.
Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
WHAT
DOES GOD REQUIRE OF US IN THIS PASSING WORLD?
Listening
to the conversation between Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees in our Gospel
passage today as they asked Jesus for signs. He
said to them, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a
sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah, telling
us that, on Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation
and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is
something greater than Jonah here with us, that is, Jesus himself.
Reflecting
on this, the question that comes to my mind is: where will me and you and the
beautiful things of this world be in the next ten, twenty, forty, eighty and
hundred years for those who are strong? The deep silence in my soul could not
offer me any answer to this question rather, it exposed me to the foolishness
of human greediness and selfishness. Hence, I asked myself what does God really
requires from us in this world? This is what the Lord requires of us: only
this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.
Therefore,
we must be courageous like Moses in our first reading today, who when the
people of Israel was trapped between the red sea and the Egyptians army, did
not begin to look for signs, rather he courageously said to the Israelites:
‘Have no fear! Stand firm, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you
today: the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will do
the fighting for you: you have only to keep still.’
Hence,
as Jesus in this Gospel, presents to us the final recommendations of the end
time, he insists that we should not be afraid, but we should pay rapt attention
to the signs nature is giving us concerning the end time events, that these
signs will make us to have hope founded firmly on the word of God which drives
away fear and despair, knowing that the kingdom of God is very near to us.
He
also warns us about following those who claim to know when the end is coming.
For we may see many of the signs written in Scripture happening already in our
time and people are terrified looking for someone to show them the way. We
should know that Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and the Life.
Dear
friends, what does God requires of us in this world? what signs are we seeing
around us today? How can we interpret the signs of this times, the signs that
tell us that this world is passing away? Do these signs make us to dread the
second coming of the Lord or do we joyfully embrace it in anticipation?
However, Jesus warns us not to waste our time seeking for signs, rather we
should be prepared, we should remain firm in faith.
So,
Jesus reminds us that that he is not just the sign of Jonah, but something far
greater than Jonah, and without him in our lives, we will be lost, because the
future lies in his hands and nothing can destroy or hurt us as long as we
remain faithful to his commands. Nonetheless, what he requires of us in this
world is for us to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with our
God.
LET US
PRAY: Lord God, as we embrace your word today give us the grace to act justly,
to love tenderly and to walk humbly with you and as we carryout our task this
week, may your favour be with us now and always. We ask this through Christ our
Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed week.
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