Sometimes I come across a reading that is a direct hit to my heart, especially as I’m going through my own personal crisis and wonder if God hears me. Questions like “Why are you so distant?” “Show me a sign?”
Father Sebastian White’s editorial hit home with me today. “Where is my trust?” “Have I surrendered all?”
Editorial from Magnificat: February 1, 2025.
Father Sebastian White,o.p.
The Gospel we will hear on February 17, Mark 8:11-13, is one of the shortest passages in the whole lectionary. The Pharisees approach Jesus, seeking a sign from heaven. In their skepticism, they want further evidence that he is who he says he is. Instead of agreeing to their request, however, Jesus responds with a question, Why does this generation seek a sign?, only to then say, Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. The encounter concludes with one of the saddest of all endings: Then he left them. Jesus simply departs from the Pharisees.
Seeing what’s before our eyes
For all its brevity, the passage gives us a lot to ponder. To begin with, why doesn’t Jesus give the Pharisees what they ask? After all, many pages of the Gospel are devoted to the signs and miracles he performed throughout his life and ministry. Healing the sick, raising the dead, multiplying the loaves and fish, casting out demons, calming storms—you name it, the Lord can do it. Even if their intention is to test him, as the Gospel states, if he has the power, why not do it? Perhaps a stunning miracle would have softened their hearts and opened their eyes.
Of course, our Lord is not a reluctant giver or stingy with his blessings. God is not outdone in his generosity, as the saying goes. Instead, our Lord knows that although miraculous signs are good, they are infinitely less than Jesus himself. In other words, he does not want to give them second-best. As Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis puts it: “Jesus is the incomparable and unsurpassable sign, alongside which all other signs fade into insignificance.”
Jesus is much more than a miracle worker; he provides infinitely more than remedies to natural infirmities or problems, however serious they might be. He wants to give us eternal life, eternal salvation. And salvation is much more than a miracle. Our salvation is nothing less than union with Jesus himself: something even death cannot interrupt. Additionally, our Lord knows the Pharisees’ hearts, and he knows that even if he provides yet another sign, it will not necessarily resolve their skepticism. They could still find some other cause to attribute his miracles to, such as magic or the devil. As they say elsewhere, He drives out demons by the prince of demons (Lk 11:15). Thus, in denying their request Jesus is effectively calling their bluff. He knows that the only solution or way out of their skepticism is if they finally open their hearts to him with simplicity, faith, and trust.
To take another example: Back when I was a teenager, if I had suddenly asked my parents one evening, “How do I know that you are who you say you are? How do I really know that you are not deceiving me? Can you prove it to me?” I can imagine the bewilderment and sadness my parents would have felt. “But have we ever given you any reason to doubt? We have assured you countless times of our love for you. You lived in our home and under our protection all these years. We provided for you, educated you, and took care of you when you were sick. Son, the proof is in the pudding. If the credibility of our word after all these years—indeed, if our relationship itself—is not sufficient to gain your trust and confidence, what else would be?”
And they’d be right. At a certain point, in order for a relationship to be healthy and to flourish there has to be a basic level of trust, a willingness to take someone at his or her word. It is theoretically possible that my parents had subjected me to some elaborate deception for my whole life, but there was simply no reason for me to view my life with such radical skepticism.
Trusting in Jesus’ word
From the depths of his divine love, Jesus wants to give us the best. He loves us infinitely, and therefore he wishes to give us an infinite good. He wants us to have a relationship with him as a person, indeed as a beloved friend. The most important element that the Pharisees miss is the most obvious: they are already in the real presence of the One any miracle or sign points to.
Of course, signs and miracles are not bad. Indeed, they are very good. They’re just not the equivalent of Jesus himself. We have something more precious than miracles and signs in our lives. We have Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the one who absolves us from our sins. We have sanctifying grace, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us is a participation in God’s own divine life.
There are times in our life, especially in times of trial or suffering, when we ask God for very specific things: healing, a new job, or the resolution to some crisis or problem in our family, just to name a few. Very often, God can seem distant or slow to respond to our requests. It is at these moments especially that the Lord invites us to deepen our faith—to cling to him not only for what he can do for us but for who he is. At the end of the day, faith is not the result of signs or miracles, but a loving and trustful surrender to God, taking him at his word.
This month, may we renew our confidence in the truth that Jesus is truly present to us. Even if we cannot feel him or see him, even if at times he seems deaf to our cries, we continue to cling to him. Especially at the elevation of the Host and Chalice at Mass, may we say deep within our souls, “My Lord and my God, I believe!”
Be Inspired! 
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