Today's Gospel in Art - They are like children shouting

Nobody Likes me, by iHeart, 2017 Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada © iHeart urban artist

Gospel of 18th September 2019 - Luke 7:31-35

Jesus said to the people: 'What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place:

'"We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn't dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn't cry."

'For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, "He is possessed." The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.'

Reflection on the street art work

Jesus in our Gospel reading of today is trying to shake us up! Jesus is telling us to grow up! He must have seen childishness in how some of the adults around him behaved. Children tend to be impulsive and act out of their feelings of the present moment, instantly. Jesus saw that adults, too, can have simplistic expectations and readily make superficial judgements. He is inviting us to see beyond the surface and to go deeper in our assessments and in our prayers.

Reading this Gospel, it made me think of how in our social media age, a lot of the social commentary on Facebook, Twitter etc is like 'the children shouting in the marketplace' which Jesus is referring to: momentarily engaging but shallow. Social media is of course a fantastic tool, allowing us to communicate at great speed and efficiency, facilitating communication between people, which is a good thing. It can also educate us, inform us, teach us things, discover new ideas, being more socially aware etc… Just like anything, social media can be used for both good and bad.... To read on see: www.christianart.today/daily-gospel-reading/177