Gospel (Lk 12,54-59) - At that time, Jesus said to the crowds: «When you see a cloud rising from the west, you immediately say: “The rain is coming”, and so it happens. And when the sirocco blows, you say: “It will be hot”, and so it happens. Hypocrites! You know how to evaluate the appearance of the earth and the sky; why don't you know how to evaluate this time? And why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? When you go with your opponent before the magistrate, along the way try to reach an agreement with him, lest he drag you before the judge and the judge hands you over to the debt collector and he throws you into prison. I tell you: you will not get out of there until you have paid every last penny."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus warns the disciples that we should lift our eyes to understand the time of salvation. The first great sign is the Gospel: it is the sign of signs. Listening to this word and putting it into practice is the believer's first work. Then there is another sign, a multiple sign: they are the poor and all those who wait to be freed from the slavery of this world. Being inattentive to their condition means not understanding the heart of God and the history of salvation. "You do not know how to evaluate this time", warns Jesus in the Gospel. There is an urgency to understand the world in which we live and the culture of this time which, as Pope Francis recalled, is not a "time of changes, but a change of era". An objective judgement, a true understanding of history, open to hope, comes from frequenting Scripture. The example given by Jesus of finding an agreement with the adversary before reaching the judgment - then it will be too late - suggests the opportunity to give one's life to the Gospel to be saved, but also to prefer meeting and dialogue to the logic of clash and opposition. The Word of God helps us to see the signs of God's presence, to see the need that this generation of ours has for the Gospel of love and to respond with that passion that the Lord asks of his disciples who become participants in his dream for the world.