The daily Word of God

February 21, 2024

Weekday in Lent or?St Peter Damian, Bishop, Doctor of the Church

Luke 11:29-32 No sign will be given to this generation except the sign of Jonah

First Reading: Jonah 3:1-10

The Ninevites turned from their evil way.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:
          “Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
          and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
          according to the Lord’s bidding.
Now Ninevehwas an enormously large city;
          it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
          and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,
          “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”
          when the people of Nineveh believed God;
          they proclaimed a fast
          and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
          he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
          covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
          by decree of the king and his nobles:
          “Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
          shall taste anything;
          they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. 
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God;
          every man shall turn from his evil way
          and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath,
          so that we shall not perish.”
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
          he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
          he did not carry it out.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19

R./ A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
          in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
          and of my sin cleanse me.
R./ A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

A clean heart create for me, O God,
          and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
          and your Holy Spirit take not from me. 
R./ A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
          should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
          a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R./ A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Gospel Reading: Luke   11:29-32

No sign will be given to this generation except the sign of Jonah.

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
          “This generation is an evil generation;
          it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
          except the sign of Jonah. 
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
          so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment 
          the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation 
          and she will condemn them,
          because she came from the ends of the earth
          to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
          and there is something greater than Solomon here. 
At the judgment the men of Ninevehwill arise with this generation
          and condemn it,
          because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
          and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

Are we looking for miracles?

We hear, but we don’t listen. Our eyes are open, but we don’t see.
In the Gospel today, Jesus talks about Jonah and the Ninevites. Jonah went to Nineveh and preached a message of repentance. Everyone listened, from the lowliest to the king. They put on sackcloth and fasted and prayed for God’s compassion. They heard the message. They listened, and they were saved.

Of all the prophets, Jonah was the only one who preached to Gentiles. Despite his own reluctance to preach at all, his message carried an obvious truth that shed light on the behaviour of the Ninevites and led them to repentance. He did not need to give any further signs. The same could be said of the openness of the queen of the South to the wisdom of Solomon. For both, there was an openness to truth and a readiness to relate and take it to heart.

Jesus says he is bringing that message to our generation. But do we listen to this message? Do we see its impact? We have the message of love, understanding, and compassion that we could ever ask for, but we fail to listen or don’t want to hear! We cover our ears and mumble so the words don’t come through, or we let the noise of our lives drown out the promptings of our hearts, the voice of the Holy Spirit.

That is my biggest hurdle: I know what I should do, but I fail to do it. We get preoccupied with our work, leisure activities and social media engagements so that we have no more time for prayer, energy for works of charity and no more interest in matters of faith. That is when attending church and receiving sacraments are seen as obligations, fasting, almsgiving and prayer are regarded as requirements during Lent alone.

The Word of God calls on us to be attentive to our surroundings and tune in to the message of God’s love. Instead of the sackcloth of the Ninevites’, we can wear a veil of compassion. We can fast from the distractions that prevent us from listening and seeing what’s important around us. We should train our eyes to see the pain of those around us, and prepare our hearts to offer them a shoulder to lean on or an attentive ear to listen.

Bible Claret