Posted by The WORD in other words (2006) by Father Titus Mananzan SVD – Holy Spirit Novitiate, Calapan, Oriental Mindoro
Monday 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Imagine that you are a mother who works two jobs every day to provide for your family. You rarely meet with former friends so that you can spend more time with your children. Instead of buying new clothes for yourself, you save your money for your daughter’s birthday celebration. Then one day your daughter says to you, “Mom, give me a sign that you really love me.”
How would you feel?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus finds Himself in a similar situation. After preaching the Good News, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, casting out demons, feeding the hungry, and even raising the dead, many people were still demanding a sign to prove that He was the Messiah. Jesus reacted strongly:
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign” (Luke 11:29).
Why did Jesus speak so firmly? Because He had already given them countless signs of God’s presence and love. Yet their hearts remained closed. An evil heart will never recognize goodness no matter how evident it is. A cynical spirit will always ask for more proof. Gratitude disappears when we take blessings for granted.
The same temptation exists today. We sometimes ask: “Does God really love me?” especially when we face difficulties, disappointments, or suffering.
Yet the greatest sign of God’s love is already before us.
The first sign is our very existence. We exist because God willed us into being. As the Psalmist proclaims:
“You formed my inmost being; You knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14).
The second sign is that we were created in God’s image and likeness:
“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them” (Genesis 1:27).
Whenever I meet someone who doubts whether God truly loves them, I am tempted to tell them: “Go and look in the mirror. Do you see a human being? Then remember that you bear the image of God. That alone is proof that God loves you.”
God did not create us by accident. He did not create us because He needed us. He created us because He loved us and desired to share His life with us. The Catechism beautifully teaches that we were created to know, love, and serve God and to be happy with Him forever.
But God’s love goes even further. The greatest proof of His love is Jesus Himself:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16).
And as St. Paul reminds us:
“God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
The fact that God knows everything about us—our strengths, weaknesses, sins, failures, and shortcomings—and still loves us, still calls us His children, and still desires our salvation, is the most convincing sign of all.
Therefore, instead of constantly asking God for signs, perhaps we should begin thanking Him for the countless signs He has already given us: life, family, faith, love, forgiveness, creation, and above all, His Son, Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Lord, open my eyes to recognize the many signs of Your love that surround me each day. Forgive me for the times I doubt Your goodness or take Your blessings for granted. Help me to remember that I am created in Your image and redeemed by the blood of Your Son. May I always live in gratitude, trusting that Your love for me is greater than I can ever imagine. Amen.
