Back in high school, I had a Mathematics tutor who came over to my house before school started. One day, a homeless person wandered into our house since the gate was open early in the morning. My family quickly sent him away, saying we had nothing to offer. Later, my tutor said to me, “it could have been Jesus, is that how you wish to treat Jesus?”. His question got me thinking about living out what Jesus taught us and being aware of God’s presence in our lives. It was a lesson in spiritual discernment that has stayed with me up to this day. Often, God’s messengers and his work may not be obvious or conform to our expectations. Just as people failed to recognize Elijah’s significance, we too may overlook God’s activity in our lives if we are not attentive. In today’s Gospel reading, we are challenged to observe our attitudes towards God’s work in our lives. Are we attentive to his presence and responsive to his call, or do we fail to recognize God’s messengers?

PRAYER: Abba Father, give us the grace of spiritual discernment, that we may have eyes to see and ears to hear the signs of your presence in our midst. Amen.