I know the signs when my little dog Sadie needs something. She barks at me once when she wants to go out and stands expectantly (hopefully), waiting for me to respond to her signal. Sometimes, when I’m busy or preoccupied, I ignore her. She then barks louder and longer, which irritates me.

But why should Sadie bear the brunt of my irritation, which is generally a lot of harrumphing? I know the signs. I could have done something about it, and we’d both be happier.

Jesus uses weather signs to make his point in today’s Gospel, but the idea is the same. We know when something we are about to do is leading us down the wrong path. Sometimes we just ignore the signs. Some of us are procrastinators. Or we want the sign to say something else; we want to point it in a different direction.

I can judge what is right, but the right road can be harder or more uncomfortable, so I want to ignore the signs and take an easier road. But I know from sign after sign that the easier road isn’t always easier. The present time seems to leave much to interpretation. Life can be complicated and messy. God has given us signs to follow. We can get help along the way to interpret those signs to find God and to do the right thing.

In the first reading from Ephesians, I find a way to help me find my way. I pray that I strive to live
            “with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
             bearing with one another through love,
             striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
             through the bond of peace;
             one Body and one Spirit…”

And now, it’s time to walk Sadie.