Daily Readings - Wed Mar 04 2020
Jonah
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
Luke
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
In today's readings, we encounter powerful messages of repentance and divine mercy. The first reading from Jonah recounts the prophet's mission to Nineveh, where he calls the people to repentance. The Ninevites, from the king to the lowest citizen, respond with humility and fasting, moving God to spare their city. This story highlights the transformative power of repentance and God's willingness to forgive.
In the Gospel, Jesus addresses a crowd, criticizing their demand for a sign. He references Jonah, noting that the Ninevites repented at Jonah's preaching, whereas the current generation has the greater sign of the Son of Man. Jesus emphasizes that those who fail to repent will be condemned by the examples of the queen of the South and the Ninevites, who responded faithfully to lesser revelations. This underscores the importance of recognizing and responding to God's presence in our lives.
These readings invite us to reflect on our own response to God's call. Like the Ninevites, we are called to humility and repentance. In our daily lives, we must remain open to God's signs and messages, whether through scripture, prayer, or the church. Let us embrace the urgency of repentance, not out of fear, but out of love for God. May we, like the Ninevites, turn to the Lord with sincerity, trusting in His mercy and grace.