Be A Sign of Contradiction

Be A Sign of Contradiction

The tall Sixth Year student stood at the exit door during the Ascension Mass in a school. Throughout, she examined her fingernails, folded the hymn sheet and took to a serious perusal of her phone (secretly!). An adult delicately suggested that Ascension didn’t mean much to her. ‘Why should we celebrate his going away,’ she said, ‘he hasn’t come here yet.’ That brought everyone ‘back to earth.’

Think about it. In saying farewell to loved ones in death, the sadness is usually tinged with thankfulness for having known them. Their physical presence made a difference; their memory inspires us still. Is this true of the way we honour Jesus? Is he just a historical figure, or a living power? Has he ‘come here yet?’ Do our lives betray that we know him? Or is he a prisoner in the church, limited to the time we give in worship and prayer?

Our forebears and we in turn, built and supported schools, hospitals, churches, and presbyteries. In most we pay someone else to do the job.

The danger is that we leave out the essentials. No one can be a substitute for the job that God has called you to do. You are irreplaceable. So, be a sign of contradiction today, not a contradiction of the sign.

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