29th Week in Ordinary Time : Friday 27th October 2023

The famous “Prayer of Serenity” asks God for the serenity to accept the things that one cannot change, the courage to change the things that one can and the wisdom to know the difference! This last part of the prayer is the plea for the gift of discernment, a word that simply means knowing God’s Will in one’s life.

In the Gospel reading today, Jesus reminds the crowd that humans have been given the innate ability to read the signs of the times by just taking stock of what is happening around them. Farmers, fishermen and people whose livelihoods depend on the vicissitudes of the weather and are susceptible to the subtle changes in atmospheric conditions can accurately predict what is coming soon and make necessary preparations.

Beyond weather, human beings can also read each other. It is not rocket science that we can generally intuit another person’s feelings by body language, tone of voice, facial expressions etc. The closer we are to people, the more we understand what is happening inside them and how we can suitably respond to their needs. What is God’s Will for me today and every day of my life?

This is where a living, working relationship with God is needed; a constant engagement with the “wholly Other” in a process called “praying”. Let us then, switch off the handphone, sit in the silence of the room and, turning to God, say:

 “Lord, what is it that You ask of me today. Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”