First Reading - Jonah 3:1-10
Gospel - Luke 11:29-32
In the first reading, the word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time. Jonah had previously resisted God’s call, yet God does not abandon him. He sends him again to Nineveh with a simple message: In forty days, Nineveh shall be overthrown. It is a message of warning, but also of opportunity. The people of Nineveh, from the greatest to the least, believe God. They fast, they put on sackcloth, and they turn away from their evil ways. Even the king humbles himself. What is remarkable is how quickly they respond. There are no arguments, no delays, no excuses. They take the warning seriously.
And God, who sees their repentance, relents from the punishment he had threatened. This shows us something essential about God’s heart. He does not desire destruction. He desires conversion. The warning itself is a sign of mercy — an invitation to change before it is too late.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the people of his own generation who demand a sign. He calls them an evil generation because they seek signs but fail to recognize what is already before them. No sign will be given except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man is a sign to his generation. But here there is something greater than Jonah.
The people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, who was a reluctant prophet. Now, in Jesus, God himself is present — speaking, healing, forgiving — yet many refuse to repent. The contrast is striking. Those who had less responded fully; those who have more hesitate.
Dear friends, we have heard the Gospel many times. We have seen signs of God’s goodness in our lives. The question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are listening.
Repentance is not merely feeling sorry. It is turning around. It is choosing a new direction. It may begin with a small step — letting go of resentment, correcting an injustice, renewing prayer — but it must be sincere.
The good news is that God’s mercy is ready. Just as he gave Nineveh another chance, he gives us daily opportunities to return to him. The time of grace is always now. If we respond with humility and trust, we will discover that God is not waiting to condemn, but eager to forgive.
Today, we are invited not to look for extraordinary signs, but to recognize the presence of Christ among us and to respond with a heart ready to change.
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