QUESTION: What do you mean by Signs of the times? Is it a source of Divine revelation? – Paul M P

ANSWER: Jacob Parappally MSFS

The Biblical revelation narrates primarily about God’s relationship with human beings from the beginning of human history fulfilled in Jesus Christ. With the coming of Jesus the world has entered into the eschatological times or the final days of human existence. For Bible, therefore, history is salvation history. The Hebrew term for God’s Word, dabar Yahweh, means God’s presence and action in history. The experience of God’s revelation is not ‘once up on time’ but at a specific time and at specific place by a particular people or particular individual. Therefore, history becomes a channel of God’s revelation as God intervenes in the life of communities and individuals and through them God communicates his plans for the entire people. It is to be recognized and accepted as something salutary for their own good. God’s revelation is not for God’s own sake but for humans and their unfolding as true humans.
It is also Christian experience that God has given intelligence to discern and recognize God’s action in history. It is also a theological principle that God does not act in the world over and above his creation and without the cooperation of human beings. Both the entire creation as well as humans become media for God’s communication of his message. Though all humans are given intelligence to discern God’s plans and purposes for them in the world, some are given a special charism to discern them. They are the prophets of God. The real prophets who live in intimacy with God can discern God’s will for humans in all situations of human life. They can see both the presence and the absence of God in all human projects and activities. Sometime they approve certain plans and projects of the people for their own welfare and for bringing them closer to God. The prophets of God denounce and oppose evil even by offering their own lives as a sacrifice in consequence of their opposition to the activities of the rich and the powerful who are unjust and anti-people. They speak and act after reading the signs of the times. Therefore, reading the signs of times can be dangerous.
Signs of the Times: Its Meaning
Jesus was asked by those who wanted a sign from him to judge whether he was the expected Messiah and he said, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’. And in the morning ‘it will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 16:2-4). They could not interpret the signs of the times during the time of Jesus. Many times Jesus accused the Scribes and the Pharisees of their blindness to see the signs.
The most significant, final and decisive event in the salvation history is God’s ultimate revelation in Jesus Christ. Since then, any significant events and trends that happen in the history of the world need to be discerned and interpreted in the light of this final revelation. What God communicates to us through the events indirectly, reveal his presence through the Holy Spirit or his absence if he is resisted in any event that occurs through the abuse of human freedom. Probably, it is because of the absence of God in the events that oppose God the dictionary meaning of the signs of the times is always seen as the expression of negativity or something foreboding. However, it can be seen positively when one is able to see the revelation of God in and through the events of history.
The Theological significance of this expression became prominent by its use in the document on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) article no.4. It says, “In every age, the church carries the responsibility of reading the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, if it is to carry out its task. In language intelligible to every generation, it should be able to answer the ever recurring questions which people ask about the meaning of this present life and of the life to come, and how one is related to the other.” Already, before the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII in his Bull Humanis salutis published on 25 December 1961 convoking Vatican II said, “While distrustful souls see nothing but darkness falling upon the face of the earth, we prefer to restate our confidence in our Saviour, who has not left the world he redeemed. Indeed, making our own Jesus’ recommendation that we learn to discern “the signs of the times” (Mt 16:4), it seems to us that we can make out, in the midst of so much darkness, more than a few indications that enable us to have hope for the fate of the Church and of humanity”.
During the Council, in 1963, Pope John XXIII published a social encyclical Pacem in terris in which three times he used this expression signs of the times as subtitles He explains in these subtitles that we can discern the presence of God and religion in three events, namely, in the progressive development of the working class, the growing role of women in public life and the gradual disappearance of colonialism. One year later, Pope Paul VI used this expression in his encyclical Ecclesiam suam in the context of dialogue between the Church and the world.
The expression ‘the signs of the times’ became very significant for theological and pastoral reflection since its use in the document of Vatican II, Gaudium et spes or Church in the Modern World. At present the discussion on various events that affect the life of the Church especially concerning its credibility in witnessing to Christ and his Kingdom values, the approach to Synod and Synodality in general, the ”Synodal Way” proposed by the Church in Germany, the role of women in the ministries of the Church, the approach of the Church to various moral issues, the growing religious fundamentalism, the increasing number of faithful deserting their Christian faith, war between so called Christian nations, globalization and the increasing number of poor in the world, tremendous technological progress reaching artificial intelligence etc., are all events that challenge the Church to read the signs of the times.
It is said that the expression signa temporum or signs of the times was used in the document Gaudium et spes after much debate and deliberations. The original term proposed was vox temporis vox dei or the voice of the age is the voice of God. But a question can be raised about discerning the voice of God in a cacophony of confusing voices. Finally, the signs of the times was accepted in the Biblical sense and the popes have used it in the earlier documents before and during the Council. The Church in dialogue with the world cannot ignore the events that happen in the world that have influence on the lives of the people of God. So a right discernment is needed on what is revealed in them with the guidance of the Holy Spirit who leads the Church to all truth.
Signs of the Times – A Divine Revelation?
Discovering the revelation of God through various events at all times especially in our times requires the grace of God or the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. In Vatican II itself the fathers were aware of the imbalances both in the society and in the minds of individuals due to the scientific and material progress, heightened awareness of the human rights especially of women and all marginalized sections of the society, the increasing displacement of God from the centre of one’s life, the growth of ideologies that negate God and spiritual values. Even sixty years after the Council the situation of the world has not changed for the better. In fact, it appears to be worse than before. On the one hand there is tremendous scientific and technological progress but on the other hand there is a shrinking of the inner space of humans and a backward journey of humans to inhumanity, cruelty, egoism and sectarianism. What was considered to be sacred, morally right and valuable for human relationships and for a harmonious living as humans in society is considered not important at all for humans. In this confusion some of those who want to hold on to their perceived identity resort to fundamentalist ideologies or superstitious practices in the name of God or join atheistic or terrorist groups. When in some areas of the world the attendance in churches are decreasing, in some other areas new churches are being built to hold the increasing number of believers. When the media and the enemies of the Church celebrate the news about various scandals in the Church, the new converts to Christian faith testify to their deep experience of Christ. When some hold on to the traditions and practices of the Church as essential to Christian faith, others try to relativize them and give more importance to their discipleship to Christ. Can all these events be considered as signs of the times and as means of divine revelation?
According to the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, “The Church carries the responsibility of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.” (Gaudium et spes No.4).If we don’t dichotomize history into secular history and sacred history and consider the entire history of humans as salvation history, everything that happens in this world reveals something of God’s ‘judgment’ on the world. It is not a punitive judgement but an assessment of humans’ relationship with him and among themselves. The restlessness which humans experience, depressions and frustrations that human mind cannot bear in the midst of all comforts which the world offers, doubts and anxieties that enter into human thinking about future destiny, the emptiness and meaninglessness humans feel after shutting God out of their lives etc., can be discerned as revelation of God about human inseparability from God. Apart from God, not only can humans not do anything but also cannot be anything. The true identity of humans can be discovered only in relation to God whether they know it, refuse to know it or ignore it.
Signs of the Times:
Revelation of Communion
The explosion of the possibilities of communication and travel has brought the entire world into a global village. Globalization has made the entire world into one market. However, the world is becoming increasingly fragmented. The selfish ambitions of some to secure power and dominate others have created divisions and separations in the name of religions, nations, languages, classes, castes, ethnicity etc. The violence that erupts in various parts of the world, the fragmentation in various societies and families that find expression in various ways affecting human relationships, the attempts of many to escape from the real world to a virtual world through the internet or to escape to an illusory world through various drugs etc., are the signs of the times that reveal the divine call for a deeper communion of humans with him and among themselves.
The greatest gift God has given to humans is their freedom. God cannot take it back. God suffers when humans misuse or abuse that freedom and become less human or inhuman. The inhuman cruelty and other various expression of inhumanity we see in the world today are the negative signs of the times which can be discerned as revelation of a God who suffers when humans suffer. There are also many positive signs of the times in which we can discern the revelation of God who directs humans for unfolding themselves as humans. The birth of movements that stand for human rights especially women’s rights to live as human beings, the coming together of people to struggle against oppression, injustice, fascism, religious and racial intolerance, united efforts to assist people in need especially during natural calamities going beyond all boundaries of religions, caste, class etc., are all signs of the times that reveal a God of communion who wants that humans live in communion. As such, these signs of the times are divine revelation in our times.