THE GREATEST SIGN OF SALVATION


MONDAY, TWENTY EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Rom 1:1-7; Ps 98:1-4; Lk 11:29-32

The Sign of the Son of Man

God understands us completely as the work of His hand. He knows that attention is a big problem for us, especially in our fallen state. So, He put structures within us and outside that would signal to us the coming of disaster due to our choices, actions, and inactions. These signs call our attention to a forthcoming destruction that lies in our chosen course of action or inaction. God is infinitely just and merciful; he would not put options before us without letting us know the possible outcome of each choice we make. These revelations and signs are part of the prevenient grace, or the grace that comes before the actual grace. Even before the first fall of Adam and Eve, God gave them His word and the outcome that would follow their rejection of the Word of Life. He informed them they would know death the day they tasted the fruit that was forbidden to them. Vigilance is required on our part to recognise and follow the prevenient graces when God gives them, for God would not leave us without provision. What prevents us from receiving the prevenient graces from God is our overattachment to creatures and passing pleasures of this world. Through the desires for passing pleasures and amusements, the demons lure many souls to sleep, and they fail to notice or recognise the signal or prevenient graces God sends to warn them of the impending doom or destruction.

The greatest of the prevenient graces of God to us is the appearance of the Son of Man. The Incarnation of the Eternal Word of God is the greatest of the signal graces God gave us to prevent our eternal damnation. The Son of Man is the greatest sign both for the Jews and the Gentiles alike. His words in the Gospel reveal as much to us. “This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Jesus Christ is the prevenient grace and a sign for our generation, warning us of the impending destruction that awaits us if we fail to repent and listen to the Word of God. That we have received the greatest signal grace than any other generation, he stated as follows: “On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.” The news of Solomon’s wisdom prompted her to leave her kingdom and travel a far distance to acquire what she considered important for herself and her kingdom. We are not ready to endure the least inconvenience to understand the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. The destruction or damnation that follows the prevenient grace or divine signs is not so much a punishment as the result of abandoning the path of life.

When we recognise the signal grace and follow it, we are led to the actual grace that brings our lives into harmony with divine will. We become signs to others when we acquire an actual grace. It is a grace of cooperation with God to carry out a good work in the plan of God. Saint Paul recognised the actual grace working through his preaching mission to the Gentiles. Thus, he writes to the Romans: “Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name. You are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ.” He considers his work as an extension and instantiation of the work of Jesus Christ, our Lord, for the salvation of the Gentiles. He was a signal grace to the Romans as the Son of Man was to the Jews. We need to remain vigilant and attentive to the graces of God in our lives, that we may truly become signs of God’s will for his people and bring them to the knowledge of the Gospel. We become a signal grace to each other, helping each other to remain attentive to God’s will as we live authentic Christian lives. It is through the authentic lives of Christians that the Lord makes known his salvation to all nations. “The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel.” Our holy duty is to pray and meditate on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; we make it known by our way of life. We pray for the grace to be faithful to this divine mission.

Let us pray: May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.     

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