“The Sign of Jonah” by Colleen O’Sullivan

“The Sign of Jonah” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Wednesday of the First Week in Lent

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. (Jonah 3:10)

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. (Psalm 51:3-4)

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. (Luke 11:29-30)

Piety

Hosea by Gregory Norbet[i]

Long have I waited for
Your coming home to me
And living deeply our new life

Study

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus finds himself addressing an ever-growing crowd. Jesus knows that idle curiosity has brought many of them to that place.  Word has spread about the healings and other miracles wrought at his hands, and people are always up for a good show. But Jesus isn’t an entertainer. He’s not performing for an audience. Jesus is deadly serious about his mission and ministry. 

So, Jesus tells those gathered that their generation is evil. They are there in the spirit of an audience eagerly awaiting a magic trick. Well, this is not The Holy Land’s Got Talent show. There’s no trick, and there’s no performance today. What is on offer is the unadorned sign of Jonah, just as good today as it was in Nineveh centuries ago. I am that sign to all of you this very day, Jesus says. I call you to repent just as Jonah called to the citizens of Nineveh. 

I don’t share Jonah’s initial, foot-dragging reluctance to do that. No one, no group, is better in my Father’s eyes than another. No matter who you are or what you may have done, no one is ever beyond forgiveness and redemption. Anyone willing to search his or her heart and put aside sinfulness will get mercy and forgiveness.

If Jesus were to appear in our midst today, I think he could rightfully call our generation an evil generation. Many of us have forsaken God and become lords of our own lives. Hatred abounds wherever we look. Innocent lives are snuffed out every day on our streets, in our schools, in our workplaces, and sometimes even in our homes. In many sectors of society, we find ourselves polarized, pushed to one extreme or another to the point where civil discourse is impossible. Even the well of compassion seems some days to have run dry.  

Jesus isn’t asking us to point fingers at the “others” responsible for the woes of the world. Jesus asks us during Lent to search deep within our hearts and souls for our part in creating the troubles of the world in which we live.

Action

Last week I included a link to an Ignatian site with many suggestions for ways to pray through or observe Lent.  One that particularly intrigued me was a short video entitled Life Laundry.  It’s about sorting through and getting rid of what weighs us down.  Take a few minutes to watch it when you have time.  It’s short.  Repentance is, in a way, about getting rid of the sin that drags us down and holds us back.

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[i] Gregory Norbet is a respected spiritual leader, composer, singer and retreat director. He spent 21 years as a Benedictine monk at Weston Priory in Vermont. He is a graduate of the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago and received his master’s degree from the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University, Chicago.