Ephesians 4:1-6 / Luke 12:54-59
There is a song with lyrics that goes like this:
I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows.
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night, a candle glows.
I believe for everyone who goes astray, someone will come to show the way.
I believe above the storm the smallest pray'r will still be heard.
I believe that someone in the great somewhere hears every word.
It's a beautiful song, and it also is a powerful reminder that there is wonder in all around us.
We only need to be aware and yet we don't, because we tend to rush through life without paying much attention to the wonder of things around us.
We have seen flowers and lighted candles but we don't think much about them; we have heard prayers but we don't reflect deeper on them, and we just pass them by.
We also have seen war, violence, oppression, injustice, poverty, and we too pass them by without paying much attention to it. Maybe because we have become numbed by it.
Or we may have seen a smile, a helping hand, a kind act, and yet we are also indifferent to it.
In the gospel, Jesus challenged us with this question - How is it you do not not know how to interpret these signs?
Jesus is challenging us to look, to observe and to reflect and to act.
The "Prayer of St. Francis" may help us understand what Jesus is calling us to do.
Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love;
where there is injury, let me bring pardon;
where there is doubt, let me bring faith;
where there is despair, let me bring hope;
where there is darkness, let me bring light;
and where there is sadness, let me bring joy.