Saint James Parish

“How can I set this before a hundred people?” 
Elisha insisted, “Give it to the people to eat.” ( The First Reading)
 

To be a ‘sign’ or ‘not be a sign’ is the challenge

When the people saw the sign, he had done, they said,

“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”

‘The signs’ that we see or ‘the sign’ that we are, can be very important for others!

A number of years ago, I took my first solo road trip from Columbus OH to Boston and back. Then we had no GPS, no waze app , no cars with inbuilt GPS; you relied only that print out from mapquest.com or a physical road map to navigate your way. One had to be extra careful that they do not miss the Road signs/Exit Signs. Many a time during that trip I missed the Exit sign and got totally lost, finding the way back was chaos. Often the road signs/Exit signs were faded or wrong and that got me all confused. I also remember that in the night I was badly low on gas and was desperate to find a gas station and what joy to see the lit sign ‘open’ at the gas station!

Signs are important even today in our tech savvy / GPS/ smart phone world. For example, just a year or so ago at the height of the pandemic, we went back to those basic rudimentary visual signs of somebody washing their hands right, social distancing or wearing a mask.

Visuals/ physical signs, signs are important because of what they stand for or the direction they give, the potential they inhibit.

The question before us this weekend in the reading is: What if we choose the live our lives as ‘signs’? Signs that make a difference or Signs that reveal Christ and Christ’s community /message to others? What would be of our lives and world?

To be a ‘sign’ or ‘not be sign’ is the challenge this weekend.

Many times, we doubt that we are important to our church and that we should even bother to advertise our faith. Many times, we question whether we can make a difference: we see ourselves as failed, ‘dented’, sinful, not-a-saint, have too little to offer etc.…, we see ourselves (to use the language of the gospel as only ‘five loaves and two fish’) and say what good is this?? What bother even share what I believe with others? Why say am catholic/ or a believer aloud?

We fail to reveal Christ and Christ’s community to others. The question is: ‘to be a sign or not to be sign?

The miracles we listen to in the first reading and Gospel today are more than just miracles, they are ‘signs’ , deeds that reveal God and God’s presence and concern for and to others.

Elisha performs that miracle to make and take a stand as to which side (the side of the living God) for whom he is a prophet. With this sign he reminds others that the living God is present, and he nourishes /provides for his people.

Jesus takes what at first seems insignificant (two fish and five loaves) that a boy has but the point is not to wow the people. The miracle is a sign of God’s presence. It leads others to believe and acknowledge God. It reflects God’s concern and awareness of others. It is about more than Jesus (when he sees they want to make him king he withdraws away alone) – the miracle is a sign that points to God.

Friends in Christ / brothers and sisters, we have a choice to make: to be a sign or not to be a sign .

Saint Paul concludes our reflection as he challenges the Ephesians to live in a manner worthy of their calling. Choose to reflect the ‘unity of God’ in the way you live your life. A disciple’s spirit and concern cannot be but one of fostering oneness: One Lord, One Spirit, One Church, one family, the sustaining love of the other is the spirit of those who belong to God.

Does anyone of us disagree with St Paul? We too must put in the effort to live this way. To be sign or not to be a sign is the question.

yes, we are but two fish and five loaves, but these simple items hide a ‘potential’. Living in the way God wants too can transform us into a ‘sign’ for others. We can make a difference, when we reveal God ‘s presence to others by our lives

 Husbands and wives, how are you going to do this? Those who choose to serve the distraught and abandoned are living signs of God’s presence. When we are part of the efforts of charity, meeting the needs of others, they see God in us.

Let the Eucharist we receive, change us from the inside out to reveal Christ’s presence. Show your sign value is the message.

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