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Gospel Reading for July 20, 2026 – Matthew 12: 38-42
RECOGNIZE and EXPERIENCE
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
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We will never be able to see God’s signs unless we have the eyes of faith and sincerely desire to see them. If we insist that everything is purely coincidence, we, too, will fail to recognize his presence.
Jesus performed countless signs before the very eyes of the scribes and Pharisees. They witnessed them firsthand, yet they failed to recognize even one as a sign from God and continued asking him for another.
If we go through life constantly asking God to show us signs of his greatness, his generosity, and his love, we will only waste the precious time he has given us.
A life well lived is one in which we RECOGNIZE and EXPERIENCE God’s greatness, generosity, and love woven into both the ordinary and extraordinary moments of each day.
Lord Jesus, we are grateful that although we did not know you personally more than two thousand years ago, we have come to know you and experience your living and loving presence in our lives today. Amen.
