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Gospel: Mark 8: 11-13
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“Why does this generation seek a sign?”
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus “sighs from the depth of his spirit,” saddened by the blindness of the Pharisees.
They’ve approached him, looking for some grandiose gesture to prove God’s existence among them. They want the heavens opened or a fire sent upon the earth in order to believe.
But for Jesus, the entire world is filled with miracles.
The birth of a child, the changing of seasons, the snow that slowly drips from the sky all reveal God’s hand in the world.
Spiritual people don’t need a life-shattering miracle in order to believe; they see God everywhere, in everything.
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Where do I see the hand of God at work? Or when have I felt his presence?
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It could be the peace we have after a friend listens to our troubles…Or the stillness we feel after a moment spent in silence.
A simple box of chocolates left surprisingly at our door.
A letter in the mail.
A smile from a stranger.
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God is all around us.
We only need to look with eyes of faith to see Him.
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Image credits: (1) Unsplash (2) National Geographic (3) Highlights of ‘People’, National Geographic