Wednesday, March 15

Read it:

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 Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

Because the Gospel talks about the Old Testament directly, here is the other reading as well. Do not be daunted...it's a good read!

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 Nineveh was 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.

Reflect on it:
Today's Gospel is all about repentance. Jonah went to Nineveh and preached repentance and all of Nineveh fasted, wore sackcloth and repented. While those in Nineveh repented, we too are called to repent, not because Jonah told us, but instead because God sent his Son to forgive! Jesus is a sign of repentance. Should we choose not to repent, then our punishment shall be worse than those of Nineveh Jesus is the sign of repentance to this generation. There's a song where the lyrics say: "Oh God let us be a generation that sees, see your face Oh God of Jacob". One of the greatest ways to see his face is through the sacraments, especially that of confession.

Pray it: Sweet Jesus, you are a sign for this generation. Help me to always know of your mercy and to trust that it is enough for me! Help me to truly repent of my sinful ways and to never sin again.

Live it! Challenge: Every Wednesday in Lent EVERY parish in the Diocese of Arlington and the Archdiocese of Washington is open for confession from 6:30-8:30 pm. Today's challenge is simple. Be someone who repents by going to confession.