Daily Readings - Wed Feb 21 2024
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
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of repentance, divine mercy, and the call to conversion. In the first reading, Jonah, after initial reluctance, obeys God’s command to preach to the people of Nineveh. His message of impending doom strikes their hearts, leading the entire city, from the king to the lowest citizen, to repent. They fast, wear sackcloth, and cry out to God, who, seeing their sincerity, spares them from destruction. This story underscores God’s mercy and the power of repentance.
In the Gospel, Jesus draws a parallel between Jonah and Himself. He tells the crowds that just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so too will the Son of Man be a sign to their generation. Jesus critiques the crowd for seeking signs while missing the greater wisdom and presence of God among them. He references the queen of the South, who traveled far to hear Solomon’s wisdom, and the Ninevites, who repented at Jonah’s preaching, suggesting that this generation should recognize the greater wisdom and sign in His presence. Both readings emphasize the importance of responding to God’s call and the transformative power of repentance.
These readings challenge us to examine our own lives. How often do we ignore God’s calls to change our ways? How many signs do we need before we turn to Him? Like the Ninevites, we are called to sincere repentance and conversion. Let us not harden our hearts but instead open ourselves to God’s mercy and grace. May we, like the people of Nineveh, turn away from sin and embrace a life of faith and obedience, trusting in God’s loving forgiveness.