Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 18, 2019
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.
This Gospel leads to one of the most-asked questions about the Gospels: what is wrong with the Pharisees? The Pharisees in today’s Gospel are looking for a sign from Jesus. This is crazy. Before this encounter, Jesus has performed miracle after miracle: cleansing lepers, healing paralytics, raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, and, immediately before this Gospel, feeding four thousand people with a few fish. What more could they want from him?
The Pharisees. though, are looking for a specific sign—a sign that their place of honor in Jewish society will be rewarded with a powerful position in Jesus’ kingdom. They want him to give them the power and honor that they feel they deserve. Like the Pharisees, I often demand things of Jesus in this transactional way. I pray with my kids, so shouldn’t they behave better? I lit a candle, so shouldn’t my request be answered? I go to Mass every week, so shouldn’t God make sure that everything in my life goes smoothly?
But God doesn’t work this way. Our relationship with God can never be transactional. God, by virtue of being God, already has everything; there is nothing we can give God that he needs. Look at those who do receive signs from Jesus. They don’t go to Jesus with a list of reasons why he should do what they ask of him. Those that do receive signs only give Jesus their faith, hope, and love. They call out to him, they push through the crowds, they drop everything to follow him to a remote hillside without any idea of how they’ll find dinner. They have faith that God will give them a sign, and they are right. The Pharisees demand a sign, and they leave empty-handed.
Prayer
Loving God, like the crowd in today’s Gospel, we too seek signs of your presence in our daily life. Like them, we sometimes do not recognize your presence through your Son, who is close to us in word and sacrament. Open our eyes and hearts to all the ways you reveal yourself to us. Give us the consolation of your presence, for we yearn for it daily. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Fra Angelico is just as famous for his artwork as he is for his holiness.
He was a Dominican friar known as Brother Giovanni of Fiesole, but because of his faithfulness and the beauty of his art, people simply called him the Angelic Brother (in Italian, Fra Angelico—“fra” is a contraction of the Latin word for brother, frater). In 1992, Pope John Paul II beatified him, which made official the holiness implied in his name.
He was born in 1395 in Tuscany. Nothing is known of his parents; he was baptized and named Guido de Pietro. At the age of 22, he had already begun to develop his skill as an artist, but he also felt a calling to dedicate his life to God, and he joined a devotional group at his parish.
By 1423, he had entered the Dominican friars in his hometown and took the name Giovanni. It appears that he came under the tutelage of a brother who worked as an illustrator of sacred texts in the friary. Soon, Giovanni’s own artwork became famous and he was sought after to decorate churches.
In 1436, Giovanni moved to a new friary in Florence with a number of other brothers. He was asked to decorate the new monastery, and his location in Florence put him in touch with many other important artists and patrons of the age. He was later called to Rome to paint frescoes that decorated several chapels at the Vatican.
Brother Giovanni—or Fra Angelico—is described as having a rare and perfect talent, and his paintings and frescoes were completed with an effort of his whole self. Picking up the brush was a prayer for him, and he wept when he painted the crucifixion.
His work was simple—his figures were usually unadorned and carefully arranged. He skillfully used expression and posture in his figures to portray the faithfulness that he sought to exemplify in his own life.
At the same time, Fra Angelico was well-known for his humility and modesty. He embodied the words of his motto: “He who does Christ's work must stay with Christ always."
He died while visiting in Rome, and is buried there. The epitaph on his tomb in Rome reads:
“When singing my praise, don't liken my talents to those of Apelles. Say, rather, that, in the name of Christ, I gave all I had to the poor. The deeds that count on Earth are not the ones that count in Heaven. I, Giovanni, am the flower of Tuscany.”
Fra Angelico is patron saint of Catholic artists. Shown below are some of his works, the first is a detail from the fresco, Noli Me Tangere, which depicts Jesus appearing to Mary after the resurrection. The Transfiguration is also pictured here, as is the Annunciation (below).
Blessed Fra Angelico, patron saint of Catholic artists, whose art was aflame with love for Christ—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Fra Angelico is in the public domain. Last accessed December 5, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons. All of Bl. Fra Angelico's own works have also been pulled from various sources on Wikimedia Commons.
