Wednesday of the First Week of Lent
CONVERSION
Even for pagans, even for those known for their cruelty, like the people that enslaved the Jews, it is possible to be converted. When the author of the Book of Jonah told this to the Jews, it was an astonishing message to them. For Jews, yes, but for pagans? Jesus seems to turn things around: pagans turn to God, but you, God’s people, don’t. Aren’t we Christians perhaps, too smug too, thinking that we are God’s people, and therefore, need no conversion?
Reading 1: Jon 3:1-10
Next, God spoke to Jonah a second time: “Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They’re in a bad way and I can’t ignore it any longer.” This time Jonah started off straight for Nineveh, obeying God’s orders to the letter. Nineveh was a big city, very big—it took three days to walk across it. Jonah entered the city, went one day’s walk and preached, “In forty days Nineveh will be smashed.”The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it—rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers. When the message reached the king of Nineveh, he got up off his throne, threw down his royal robes, dressed in burlap, and sat down in the dirt. Then he issued a public proclamation throughout Nineveh, authorized by him and his leaders: “Not one drop of water, not one bite of food for man, woman, or animal, including your herds and flocks! Dress them all, both people and animals, in burlap, and send up a cry for help to God. Everyone must turn around, turn back from an evil life and the violent ways that stain their hands. Who knows? Maybe God will turn around and change his mind about us, quit being angry with us and let us live!”God saw what they had done, that they had turned away from their evil lives. He did change his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn’t do.
Gospel: Luke 11:29-32
As the crowd swelled, he took a fresh tack: “The mood of this age is all wrong. Everybody’s looking for proof, but you’re looking for the wrong kind. All you’re looking for is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. But the only proof you’re going to get is the Jonah-proof given to the Ninevites, which looks like no proof at all. What Jonah was to Nineveh, the Son of Man is to this age. “On Judgment Day the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about ‘proofs.’ On Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that condemns this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon’s is right in front of you, and you quibble over ‘evidence.’
Prayer
Forgiving, merciful God,
we pray to you for a good measure
of humility and honesty
to acknowledge before you and people,
that we are weak and fallible men and women,
who often try to turn a blind eye
to our shortcomings and our sins.
Strong with the grace won in the hard way
by your Son on the cross,
we beg you for the courage
to seek your forgiveness
and to turn and return wholeheartedly to you
and to serve you and people.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Reflection:
1 March 2023
Luke 11: 29-32
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.