Daily Readings - Wed Feb 21 2018

First Reading - Jonah 3.1-10

¹And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying²Rise, and go to Nineveh, the great city. And preach in it the preaching that I say to you³And Jonah rose, and he went to Nineveh in accordance with the word of the Lord. And Nineveh was a great city of three days’ journey⁴And Jonah began to enter into the city one day’s journey. And he cried out and said, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.⁵And the men of Nineveh believed in God. And they proclaimed a fast, and they put on sackcloth, from the greatest all the way to the least⁶And word reached the king of Nineveh. And he rose from his throne, and he threw off his robe from himself and was clothed in sackcloth, and he sat in ashes⁷And he cried out and spoke: "In Nineveh, from the mouth of the king and of his princes, let it be said: Men and beasts and oxen and sheep may not taste anything. Neither shall they feed or drink water⁸And let men and beasts be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry out to the Lord with strength, and may man be converted from his evil way, and from the iniquity that is in their hands⁹Who knows if God may turn and forgive, and may turn away from his furious wrath, so that we might not perish?¹⁰And God saw their works, that they had been converted from their evil way. And God took pity on them, concerning the harm that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it

Gospel - Luke 11.29-32

Luke

Chapter 11

²⁹Then, as the crowds were quickly gathering, he began to say: "This generation is a wicked generation: it seeks a sign. But no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah³⁰For just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of man be to this generation³¹The queen of the South will rise up, at the judgment, with the men of this generation, and she will condemn them. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, more than Solomon is here³²The men of Nineveh will rise up, at the judgment, with this generation, and they will condemn it. For at the preaching of Jonah, they repented. And behold, more than Jonah is here

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of repentance, faith, and the call to conversion. In the first reading from Jonah, we see the prophet Jonah, who, after initial resistance, obeys God’s command to preach to the people of Nineveh. The Ninevites, upon hearing Jonah’s warning of impending judgment, immediately repent. They fast, wear sackcloth, and cry out to God for mercy. Their actions demonstrate a deep faith and a willingness to change their ways. God, seeing their sincerity, spares the city from destruction. This story highlights the power of repentance and God’s mercy. In the Gospel, Jesus draws a parallel between Jonah and himself. He tells the crowd that no sign will be given to their generation except the sign of Jonah, referencing how Jonah’s preaching led to the repentance of the Ninevites. Jesus then contrasts this with the current generation, which, despite witnessing greater wisdom and miracles through him, remains hardened in sin. The queen of the South and the people of Nineveh, who repented at the preaching of Jonah, will rise up at the judgment to condemn this generation for its lack of faith. Jesus’ words challenge us to examine our own response to God’s call and to recognize the signs of grace that are present in our lives. These readings remind us that faith is not about seeking signs or waiting for perfect conditions to act. Rather, it is about responding to God’s invitation with humility and openness. Like the Ninevites, we are called to repentance and to trust in God’s mercy. In our daily lives, this means being honest about our sins, seeking forgiveness, and living in a way that reflects our commitment to God. Let us not harden our hearts but instead allow the Word of God to transform us. True faith leads to action, and our actions reveal the depth of our conversion. May we, like the people of Nineveh, turn to God with sincerity and experience the richness of his love and forgiveness.