There are two kinds of signs. The first one foretells near-future occurrences. Experienced mothers can tell what the signs are before labouring. You can save lives if you know what the signs are before a stroke. The other kind of signs tells you what to do. Road signs caution and warn road conditions and speed limits. And street signs let you know where you are and where to drive.
When the great city of Nineveh was on the way to God’s punishment, the prophet Jonah appeared before the city and warned them of God’s upcoming wrath. Its people recognized the sign and turned their ways from sinful lives. God relented and did not destroy the city as he did to Sodom and Gomorrah. Which kind of sign was Jonah?
When the parents of Jesus presented Jesus at the Temple after forty days of his birth, the prophet Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be a sign. Which kind of sign do you think the prophet Simeon was speaking? Jesus is the second kind of sign like the prophet Jonah. Jesus is the sign that warns us of our sinfulness but directs us to salvation.
Christ is still the sign that shows the direction to salvation. But he also invites us to become his signs. When we drive a long way, we check road signs and confirm if we are in the right direction to our destinations. We need many signs along the way. Likewise, the Saints of the Church, saintly people, and even angels help us take the right direction to salvation. Because the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, her members should become Christ’s signposts for each other.
Am I Christ’s signpost to my family and friends? When a signpost is confusing, people get lost and even hurt. In this Season of Lent, let us examine ourselves if our lives direct to where our Lord is waiting for us.
