Looking for a Sign

"C'mon, Lord, just give me sign," I prayed as I knelt before the tabernacle in our empty and quiet cathedral. My knees were getting tired from the cold marble floor while my face burned hot with dry tears wiped away with weary hands. I was in a difficult situation, uncertain about which way to go, and I wanted, no, I demanded, a sign from God.

How often do we ask for signs from Him? How often do we wait for the sky to open, light to pour out onto our faces, and the very voice of God, similar to Morgan Freeman's, of course, to account in detail what He would like for us to do. How often do we test the providence of Jesus by looking for blatant signs from Him? How often do we throw up our hands in discouragement and frustration with the Holy Spirit when we don't see any roses after dutifully completing our novena to Saint Therese?

How often do we echo the crowd's words to Jesus in today's Gospel:

Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform?

As I waited (im)patiently for my sign that day in the cathedral, I grew to realize that my sign had been right in front of me the entire time.

Locked away in a small shrine of gold was my Sign. Dwelling humbly and powerfully in the recesses of that church was my Sign of God's providence. The Eucharist.

The Eucharist, the bread from heaven, the bread of life, is all the sign we need, sisters.

What greater sign of His love, care, and fidelity could the Lord show you than being so adamantly enamored with you that He refused to be physically separated from you until Heaven and remains humbly under the guise of simple bread just so He can be near your heart? What else could He do to prove greater provision?

As we go about our days today, days full joy and triumph and challenges and work, let us remember to feast on our Sign, the Bread of Life, so that we may not hunger nor thirst, but have our fill of all we need.

We beg the Lord to send us a sign, to show up for us. And He does, every single day in the Eucharist.

Olivia Spears is a middle school religion teacher turned SAHM who is married to her high school best friend. You can find out more about her here..