Today’s Scripture Readings

When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgement with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!

With seemingly endless chaos across the globe, I sometimes feel that we are living in an ‘evil generation.’ Yet, unlike the crowd from today’s Gospel, we have received a sign far beyond that of Jonah or Solomon, being witnesses to Jesus, crucified and risen. Like Jonah’s reluctant mission to Nin’eveh, Jesus confronts a generation, then and now, resistant to transformation.
Do we read the sign of Jonah as a sign of our own spiritual apathy? How hard are our hearts when the Lord speaks to us? Jesus calls us to repentance, and we are called to respond in faith. There are times for signs, but we must also be open to the quiet, persistent call of our ongoing conversion to Christ. This transformation ought not just be triggered by miracles, but instead by recognising the presence of God in our midst.

Do we desire to respond like the people of Nin’eveh, generally known for their wickedness, who wholeheartedly repented at once after Jonah prophesied to them? How much more should we as Christians leap in response to the Lord’s call?

+ Jesus, soften my heart to hear more urgently Your call to repentance. Help me to respond enthusiastically to this call. Amen.