The chilling word of the prophet Simeon, spoken to Mary at the Temple, foretells the tragedy that sits at the heart of our Lenten pilgrimage. His words echo in the background of Jesus’ own words to the crowd in today’s Gospel. ‘The Son of Man will be a sign to this generation,’ Jesus proclaims, yet this sign is ‘a sign destined to be opposed’ (Luke 2:34).

The story of Jonah prefigures the death and resurrection of Christ as well as the new life of grace to which we are called. After Jonah had been swallowed by the fish and rescued from the darkness of the ‘tomb’, he preaches to the people of Nineveh, and they believe and are saved.

While the sign given through the prophet Jonah was understood and accepted, the sign of Christ’s life was met, not only with opposition but also with outright rejection, hostility, and murder. This is true, even though in Christ, there is one who is far greater than Jonah.

The sign of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is addressed to us as well. Do we recognise and respond to the sign given to us by Christ? Or, resistant to the promptings of faith, do we demand yet more signs? Let us not be slow to believe, but rather, let us accept the sign already given. Let us understand its meaning and cooperate with God’s saving grace. Christ calls us from the darkness of the tomb to the fullness of life promised to those who repent. How will we respond?

by Fr Michael Grace