Visitation of God
Luke 12:54-59
“He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain—and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot—and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise, your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
The Catholic Church sees this as a call to spiritual discernment urging the faithful to recognize God’s presence and their call to live in a way that honors God’s presence in their lives.
For all of us humans, we deal with weather. Before we leave our houses many of us either look outside or listen to the news about what the conditions of the day are going to be. It helps us discern what to wear, do we need an umbrella or jacket to wear. Jesus knew even in his day the religious leaders did the same thing. Jesus uses this as a example to get their attention before he rebukes them that they cannot see what is right in front of them, the Messiah. They are the spiritual leaders in Jerusalem, but they cannot or won’t recognize that he is “I am”.
In the Ignatian tradition of reflective attitude, the Church views this passage as an invitation to look past superficial, worldly concerns and perceive God’s footprints in daily events, challenges and historical moments. We must look past the daily routines in our lives and look for how God is involved in our lives. What is he leading us toward? Do we recognize he is there in every moment of our day? Has God actually shown up and we missed it because we were not looking for God to be there in the good and the bad of our lives. Jesus wants us to recognize his presence and discern his call for our lives.
The second part of this reading today is a call to the urgency of reconciliation. The imagery is that if our accuser takes us to court and we are not prepared, we might be handed over to judgement and condemned until we pay the last penny. This is a call to reconcile with God and neighbor. In Catholic teaching the “prison” or paying “the last penny” symbolizes the final judgement or purgation emphasizing that repentance, forgiveness and moral rectitude cannot be postponed. Living a life that honors God is to recognize his daily presence and call to live our lives as disciples who follow him.
Finally, when he says, ‘Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?’, he is calling us to personal responsibility. The Church stresses that individual conscience must be formed by truth, prompting believers to actively choose God’s way over moral confusion or cultural error. We don’t have to look far to see the error of the world and the culture of death being brought about. We are called to be followers and witnesses to the truth God is revealing to us and to live that out daily as a leaven to society so others can also recognize his visitation.
May you allow God to reveal himself to you and recognize his visitation in your life. Ask him to make that more evident each day to you and then in gratitude thank him for that gift.