Signs of the Times

How can we discern the true signs of the times when spiritual blindness obscures the divine wonders unfolding before us?

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?

Luke 12:54-56

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Messianic Signs

Weather-savvy Palestinian Jews, fluent in atmospheric signs, prove illiterate in the face of the Word made flesh. Miracles of healing, exorcism, raising the dead, feeding of thousands, and divine teaching fail to register Mashiach (Messiah) in the minds of those primed by the prophets to recognize him. 

“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” asked the chief priests, scribes, and elders (Matthew 21:23, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2). Willful refusal to acknowledge the heavenly origin of Christ’s works of mercy leads them to reject his claims of divine sonship. Jesus marvels at the discrepancy between their fleshly erudition and their spiritual obtuseness. Earthly eyes readily perceive wind and clouds but disbelieve the signs and wonders, prophecies, and teachings of the Son of God.

I Am a Cloud

Blessed Theophylact (c. 1050/60-1108), a Greek Father of the Church, entering the heart of Christ, reflects:

For I am a cloud, and I come out of the west, that is, from human nature; which has been long since clothed with the thick darkness of sin. I came also to send fire, that is, to stir up heat. For I am the strong south wind, opposed to the northern coldness. 

May the Lord grant us a discerning heart to read the signs of the times.

Traditional Chinese Translation

《時候的蹟象》
 大氣雲層預示風暴和大雨。
人子預告羔羊將被殺。