First reading Jonah 3:1-10
The Ninevites repent, and God spares them
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.
Responsorial Psalm 50(51):3-4,12-13,18-19
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
Gospel Luke 11:29-32
As Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be a sign
The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them:
‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and 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. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’
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The sign of Jonah
In today’s Gospel, Jesus recognises that the crowds are drawn to Him not only by His teaching, but by their desire for clear and convincing signs to prove His identity as the One sent by God. Yet Jesus refuses to satisfy their demand for spectacle. Instead, He offers only one sign, the sign of Jonah, pointing beyond the present moment to the mystery of His own death and resurrection.
This sign reveals the very heart of God’s powerful love. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see that love ultimately triumphs, that truth cannot be silenced, and that life is stronger than the power of death. Though this sign may appear hidden or challenging, it calls for trust rather than proof, a trust that God’s love is at work even when it is not immediately visible. Confronted by this sign, we are invited not merely to believe, but to respond. Trusting in God’s powerful love compels us to commit ourselves to this truth and to bear witness to it in our daily lives. Through our words, actions, and choices, we are called to embody the hope of the resurrection, allowing God’s love to shine through us for others to see.
Reflective question:
In what ways am I called today to bear witness, through my words and actions, to the power of God’s love that conquers death?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
