In the many decisions that we have to do every day, especially the big ones, we always ask for signs:

• Lord, if I pass the interview that means you want me to leave my current job and transfer to the new one.
• Lord, if he comes in wearing a blue shirt, he is the one for me and I will give him my yes, if he courts me.
• Lord, why did I come across an article on “infidelity?”

My dear friends, we know that God has a plan for each and every one of us and he wants what is best for us. Hence, we ask for signs for us to know His will. 

In the Gospel, the Pharisees were asking for signs but Jesus did not accede to the request. He knew another sign would not be helpful in making them believe that the Kingdom of God is at hand. After Jesus’ many miracles and signs, another one would not matter.

For us who ask for signs in the decisions that we have to make, three things we remember:

1. Do not let SIGNS be the SOLE determinant of our decision. Just because the sign that we ask for comes true, it does not mean it is already the answer to our prayers. On the other hand, when the sign we asked for did not come true, it means that God has another plan. The jump from the corporate world to seminary life was a huge decision for me. It took many years. In making my decisions, there were signs that I asked for that came true which helped me discern and there were signs that I asked that did not come true.
2. Be Discerning. In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, he would always say to discern the spirits. Not all the seemingly good happens to us is from God and not all the seemingly negative things that happen to us are from the devil. Remember, the deception of the devil and the mysterious ways of the Lord.
3. Avoid the Occult. We human beings want what is always instant. Hence the occult is so tempting as one gets answers immediately. It only takes one peep: What is in store for me in the year of the Rat? Then we will tell ourselves, it is just for fun and it won’t hurt. Before we know it our trust is now in palm reading, fortune-telling, astrology, tarot cards, etc. The words of God in the first commandment are very clear: “I am a jealous God, you shall have no other gods aside from me.”

Like Jesus, we want to know what is God’s will for us since he knows what is best. We must remember that signs are just one way that the Lord communicates with us. In the end, it is about Prayer, reflection, living a virtuous life, fasting and almsgiving, and the Eucharist. It is about making God the center of our lives.