Q. Does God send signs? How do we know if something is a sign, or our own thoughts?
A. “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah” (Mt 16:4). I have heard this verse quoted as proof that we, as believers, should not seek a sign from God. However, Jesus is not saying “don’t seek a sign,” but rather “don’t be evil and unfaithful like the Pharisees and Sadducees who ask only for a sign to test me” (Mt 16:1).
Ironically, Jesus affirms the use of signs by sending them the “sign of Jonah,” i.e. that He will be crucified and buried and three days later, will rise from the dead.
Clearly, God sends signs because he wants to communicate with us, and signs are but one way that He does so. Regardless of the way that God speaks to us, we as Christians are given the responsibility to test whether what we receive is really from God or not. That leads us to our second question: how can we tell if a sign is from God or not? There are a few ways.
Right away, we know God does not contradict himself. For example, God is not going to lead you to disobey the commandments, contradict Sacred Scripture, Tradition, or the Magisterium. Furthermore, God is also a God of reason. Therefore, He will not ask you to do something crazy like walking across a busy highway with a blindfold on, or quitting your job to become a hermit when you are married and have children to provide for.
He speaks in a clear voice as He affirms in John 10:27, saying “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” If there is something fuzzy or confusing, it is not from God. Often times, if God is inviting you to something new, He will also speak in repetition in a variety of ways. We do not have to play “Where’s Waldo” when it comes to important things God wants to communicate to us.
Another way we can discern if something is of God or not is to judge its fruit. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit” Jesus says in Luke 6:43-44. The “good fruits” of the Holy Spirit are charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity. Therefore, any sign that leads us to decisions that bring us into right relationship with God and others will inevitably produce these holy, delicious fruits.
Lastly, St. Ignatius of Loyola gave us his 14 Rules for Discernment of Spirits that we can apply to signs, based on where we are in the spiritual life, the various movements of our heart, how to reject what is not of God and to accept what is of God, and lastly, the ways in which the evil one attacks us. These can be useful in discerning what sign is from God and what sign is not of God.
One final note of caution. Well-known preacher and podcaster Father Mike Schmitz once said that in asking God for a sign, we should not seek to mitigate our own personal responsibility and diminish our free will. At the end of the day, signs are just that: signs. We are free to follow them or not, but where faith and free will intersect, the decision is always left up to each individual. God loves and respects our free will too much to ever diminish it; hence, signs always aid, but never force us.
This question was answered by Father Stephen Graeve, pastor of St. Peter and St. Joseph parishes in Bellwood, and chaplain at Aquinas Catholic Schools in David City.
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