The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be aware of the “signs” present in our society that call us to present Jesus' Way to love and transformation in our environment.
The Reading from the Book of Jonah proclaims Jonah’s Obedience and the Ninevites’ Repentance.
* [3:5] Great and small: the contrast can refer to distinctions of social class (prominent citizens and the poor).
* [3:7–8] Fasting and wearing sackcloth are signs of human repentance; here they are legislated even for the animals—a humorous touch, perhaps anticipating 4:11.
* [3:9–10] Scripture frequently presents the Lord as repenting (or, changing his mind) of the evil that he threatens; e.g., Gn 6:6–7; Jer 18:8. (Jonah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 51 asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences.
* [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. The first part (Ps 51:3–10) asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Ps 51:11–19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Ps 51:12–13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer 31:33–34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (Ps 51:15–16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (Ps 51:17–19). The last two verses express the hope that God’s good will toward those who are cleansed and contrite will prompt him to look favorably on the acts of worship offered in the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 51:19 [20–21]). (Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus addresses The Demand for a Sign.
* [11:29–32] The “sign of Jonah” in Luke is the preaching of the need for repentance by a prophet who comes from afar. Cf. Mt 12:38–42 (and see notes there) where the “sign of Jonah” is interpreted by Jesus as his death and resurrection. (Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Rev. Rashmi Fernando, SJ, comments that the invitation of Jesus, therefore, is to stop searching for extraordinary proofs and instead recognize God’s presence in the ordinary, demanding moments of daily life: in conscience, in Scripture, in the quiet invitations to repent and return.
Lent, then, is not about waiting for a sign but about becoming one. Like Jonah, our lives are meant to point beyond ourselves. Like Nineveh, our communities are called to collective conversion. And like the psalmist, we are invited to trust that God never rejects a heart that turns toward Him—however late, however imperfectly.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Where might God be calling me “a second time” this Lent, and how am I responding?
2. What concrete action—not just intention—can express my repentance and desire for change?
3. Am I seeking signs from God, or am I willing to recognize His presence in what is already given? (Fernando, 2026)
Don Schwager quotes “Don't put off conversion - tomorrow may never come,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God is not now so long-suffering in putting up with you that He will fail to be just in punishing. Do not say then: 'Tomorrow I shall be converted, tomorrow I shall please God, and all that I shall have done today and yesterday will be forgiven me.' What you say is true: God has promised forgiveness if you turn back to Him. But what He has not promised is that you will have tomorrow in which to achieve your conversion." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 144,11) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh the capital of Assyria but he wanted to see retribution against the enemies of Israel. Jonah walks for three days through the great city and the people turn away from their sin on the first day. God’s response to sin is to hurt for the damage it does to us. In the Gospel of Luke, people ask Jesus for a sign. Friar Jude notes two versions of the sign of Jonah: who was buried in the belly of the whale for three days and the preaching of conversion to Nineveh as Jesus is Wisdom Incarnate as sought in the Hebrew Testament.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:29-32 comments Jesus is looking for people who recognize that “something greater than Jonah” is in their midst (11:32). It’s important to see that Jesus’ reaction to such an attitude is not one of condescension or condemnation; it comes from a heart yearning to see his people turn to his Father.
Ask the Holy Spirit to stir your heart today. Make time for quiet listening so that you can hear his voice in a noisy world. Jesus is greater than Jonah. He is greater than Solomon. He is greater than any celebrity or politician or internet influencer. And yet, as great as he is, he wants to spend time with you.
“Jesus, open my ears and my heart to receive your words!” (Meditation on Luke 11:29-32, n.d.)
Brian McLaren describes some of the modern addictions that keep us from choosing the difficult path to freedom. Author Cole Arthur Riley reminds us of the slow work of liberation.
Could you wander for forty years if it meant freedom? If you listen, you can still hear them groaning—they who were rescued, only to find that freedom is never so easily won. That liberation is a path marked by uncertainty and thirst and grief over all that was lost in the revolution. In Exodus, we are faced with a God of slow rescue…. Perhaps God knew that part of liberation is confronting anything you might hunger for more than it. [1] (McLaren, n.d.)
McLaren continues:
The wilderness journey is always difficult and seems to last forever…. But the truth is, if we arrive before we’ve learned the lessons of the wilderness, we won’t be able to enjoy the freedom that awaits us in the promised land beyond it. There is wisdom we will need there that we can gain only right here. There is strength and skill we will need in the future that we can develop only here and now, on the wilderness road. There is moral muscle we will need then that we can exercise and strengthen only through our struggles on this road, here and now….
We will often be tempted to return to our old lives, but in that tension between a backward pull and a forward call, we will discover unexplainable sustenance (like manna) and unexpected refreshment (like springs in the desert). Against all odds, walking by faith, we will survive, and more: we will learn what it means to be alive. (McLaren, n.d.)
We seek the inspiration of the Spirit to be the sign of the freedom and fullness of life that Jesus offers to all people.
References
Fernando, R. (2026, February 25). Daily Reflection February 25, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-25-2026
Jonah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jonah/3?1
Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?29
McLaren, B. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-wilderness-journey/
Meditation on Luke 11:29-32. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/25/1508528/
Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51?3
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Sign of Jonah for an Evil Generation. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
No comments:
Post a Comment