Read The Signs Before It’s Too Late

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Jesus says something in today’s Gospel that is both simple and unsettling: “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” In other words, we can be very good at reading everything around us, except our own soul. We know when rain is coming. We know when a relationship is getting tense. We know when our phone battery is about to die. But somehow, when it comes to our spiritual life, we keep saying, “Later.” Later I will forgive. Later I will confess. Later I will pray seriously. Later I will deal with that sin. And the theme today is this: grace gives us signs, but we still have to respond.

The truth is, God is often speaking to us long before a crisis comes. There are signs. A restlessness in the heart. A relationship that keeps getting colder. A habit that is slowly becoming a chain. A conscience that keeps whispering, “This is not right.” We usually want a dramatic sign from God, but often He is already giving us one. The problem is not that God is silent. The problem is that we can become experts at ignoring what we already know.

Then Jesus gives this image of two people on the way to court and says, essentially, “Settle the matter on the way.” That is such a powerful image because it means: do not wait until everything is broken before you try to repair it. Do not wait until resentment has hardened. Do not wait until guilt has buried itself deep. Do not wait until someone is gone before you say what needs to be said. There are things in life that become harder the longer we delay them. Reconciliation is one of them. Repentance is another.

Maybe that is the uncomfortable question today: what am I postponing that I already know God is asking me to face? Maybe it is an apology. Maybe it is confession. Maybe it is forgiving someone who will never apologise. Maybe it is finally admitting that a certain behaviour is pulling you away from Christ. We often think conversion begins with a big emotional moment. Sometimes conversion is much quieter. Sometimes it is simply saying, “I know what I need to do, and I am going to do it today.”

Jesus is not trying to frighten us. He is trying to wake us up. There is urgency in the Gospel because our lives matter. Our choices matter. Our relationships matter. And grace is being offered now, not in some imaginary future version of ourselves. So perhaps today the Lord is asking us to stop waiting for a clearer sign. Maybe the sign is already here. Maybe the conviction in your heart is enough. The question is not, “Has God spoken?” The question is, “Will I respond while there is still time?”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the honesty to see the signs You place before me and the courage to respond without delay. Show me what I need to repair, what I need to confess, and where I need to change. Do not let me keep saying “later” to the grace You are offering today. Give me a heart that listens, acts, and returns to You. Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko