Signs of Life

Yesterday we got into a discussion about signs. It went back and forth over the topics of what signs are, should we look for signs, should we ask for signs, etc. On one hand Jesus tells the Pharisees that he will not be giving them a sign. This is not because he can't or there is anything wrong with signs, he is only telling them that they have been given signs non-stop for thousands of years, up to and including Himself and they ignored them. Why should they be given another? Essentially, Jesus is saying we don't need signs, everything we need has already been provided, just do it. On the other hand, in the lives of the saints and even the apostles, we find God offering them a non-coercive but easily understandable sign of His will for them to accept of reject. In our own lives, if we are honest, we (probably in hind-sight) can recognize the moments God made His will manifest to us in a particular way. So should we look for signs? The issue made me think of an analogy, follow me if you will:

What is a sign? Let's say it's something that gives evidence of a presence or offers a clue toward direction. For example, God giving you a sign that He is with you or God giving you a sign of His will, or rather the direction He wants you to move. On to the analogy:

Let's say I'm a soldier (I wasn't a soldier, I was a Marine, big difference). Anyway, let's say I'm patrolling through the jungle hunting an enemy platoon. I will pay attention in a way that is very different than a leisurely stroll through the park. I will look for indications (that would be signs) of the enemy's presence or direction; things like snapped twigs, over-turned leaves, a piece or thread on a branch, or boot-prints. These things are often so small that if I am not looking for them I would walk right by and possibly right into an ambush. To further the analogy, it's not enough that I be on the lookout for signs, I have to be trained and experienced enough to know what I'm looking for, otherwise I may mistake something for a sign that will send me in the wrong direction, or even worse, it could be a trick and a trap. What I'm getting at here is that recognizing and interpreting a sign or signs is much more involved than simply asking for them.

Very often if we are looking for a sign we will find one, and amazingly, it will tell us exactly what we want! Everything we are tempted to take as sign needs to be run past the Pathfinder, because he knows the difference. It would do us well to remember St. Paul instructing us that even if an angel should tell us something contrary to the gospel it is a lie and he is no angel but a demon of hell. A big part of a mature spirituality is the recognition that we don't know and in many ways can't know so long as we're on this side of eternity. We need a Pathfinder to help us read the signs correctly, so we don't walk into an ambush.

Some will say, "If you're looking for signs you will see them whether they are real or not." This is true, at least to a degree, and on par with reading the horoscopes. What the person making this kind of assumption fails to note is the distinction in spiritual growth. A person in their spiritual infancy must be wary reading signs into everything because, like the inexperienced soldier, will see the enemy behind every rock and tree. The trained and experienced soldier knows what to look for and what to ignore, so it should stand to reason that he will "see" more signs and interpret them correctly. In the spiritual life this comes through taking time to study and learn but most importantly taking time to be in God's presence. Just as in tracking your enemy through the jungle, if you are on the right trail the sign will become more apparent and easier to read. And just like that patrol, the closer you get the louder and more distinct the signs are because they aren't just clues of a platoon that passed by hours ago but they are the actual sound of their voices and the rattle of their equipment.

Now, to get off the military analogy. Think about the Christmas song "Do You Hear What I Hear?" It's about signs and how we recognize and interpret them. The song begins with Creation asking the lamb if it has noticed what is happening. It goes on to the shepherds and the magi, all them being asked, essentially, "Did you read the signs? Do you get it?" They do, of course, because they were already on the path and they knew what they were looking for. They read the signs as clues to what was coming and when they got closer they finally understood what all the signs had been pointing to, or they recognized the direction they supposed to go and they went. The huge difference comes in with (not in the song, in real life) the ways the signs are interpreted. The shepherds, the magi, and others read the signs and came to see the Christ-child who will save the world. Herod (who couldn't read the signs and had to them explained by the magi because he didn't even notice them) interpreted the Child as a threat to his power. Just something to think about these last few weeks of Advent.