A few years ago, my husband had a major health issue. At the beginning, while we were still trying to determine what was going on, we went to the hospital for a PET scan. We were informed that the procedure would take a couple of hours, so I brought my laptop and work materials, thinking I could accomplish a few tasks on my "to-do" list. I was having difficulties with the Wi-Fi and had to approach the front desk for assistance. At the front desk, I encountered an elderly volunteer who was acting as a docent. He asked me if I was Irish (which I am, my red hair and freckles give me away), as he himself was Irish. We engaged in a brief conversation.

Once I managed to resolve the Wi-Fi issue, I sat down with my head down focused on my work. The elderly gentleman approached me to share a joke he thought I would appreciate, given our shared Irish background. He proceeded to tell the joke, and although it was clever, I continued to focus on my laptop, attempting to disengage from the conversation. I was sending what I thought were a lot of nonverbal signals (heavy sighs, no eye contact, etc). He went on to share some details about his life, mentioning that he had aspired to be a priest and had worked as a retired police detective, among other things. He also brought up his faith (which I hadn't mentioned). Finally, he gazed directly at me, placed his hand in front of his face, and said, "You know God is right in front of you." 

As I reflected on the gospel this week, this is what Jesus is telling us. God is right in front of us. Jesus was sent to Earth to help us perceive God in our midst; all we need to do is raise our heads and set aside distractions. The signs are there. We just need to see them.

The other interesting thing about today’s gospel is that we are reminded of Jesus’ struggle on earth. He sounds a little impatient. Think about it- He reached out to the sick and disadvantaged because he wanted to demonstrate that salvation was available to everyone, a revolutionary concept in that time (and even today, I suppose). It’s no wonder he was frustrated as his good deeds were frequently meant with skepticism. This human aspect of Jesus' character serves as a reminder that it's okay to struggle, but we must keep engaging with God. This isn’t something we can put off, it must happen now, in our day-to-day life. 

As we pray this week let’s remember to see the signs and more importantly understand and act on them. Let’s remember that the time is now to demonstrate our love for God and our fellow man.