Today's Gospel from Luke addresses how some in Jesus' day could interpret the weather from the clouds and from the appearance of the earth, yet they were not able to see the truth in the signs that Jesus put before them in his proclamation of God's kingdom. That is still true today, isn’t it? In the modern world, we are very technologically advanced and have made many scientific discoveries, yet we often miss the message that God is trying to convey to us. “The signs of the times” was an important message of the Second Vatican Counsel, as it called us to interpret God's Word through the signs of our modern era, yet to also be true to the original message of Jesus & the message preached by the early Church fathers.
Our saint today comes from the era of the Early Church: St Mary of Salome, sometimes just referred to as Salome. “Salome” is an Aramaic word that has the same root as the Hebrew word “shalom,” meaning “peace.” Mary of Salome is the wife of Zebedee and the mother of John and James the Greater, Apostles of Jesus. I remember seeing a statue of her near the altar at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain at the place where her son James is buried. There is also a tradition that sees Mary Salome as the sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That tradition sees her being at Christ’s death and crucifixion as recorded in the Gospels, as bringing spices to anoint his body in the tomb. Mary of Salome is a witness of the faith, the mother of two apostles who lived a life of faith and tried to follow God’s will for her in her life. Tradition has it, Mary Salome went to Italy after Christ’s death and resurrection and witnessed to the Gospel there. All of us are on different journeys in our lives of faith. May the Lord bless us and help us to do his will.
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