Daily Readings - Wed Mar 04 2020
Jonah
1And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,2Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.3So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.4And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.5So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.6For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.7And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:8But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.9Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Luke
29And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.30For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.31The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.32The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas 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.