Signs for Transformation

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.

Hope and Transformation

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/ 

Present in Community

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, reminds us of the ancient practice of presenting children to be in service of the Lord as a public declaration of “Good News” for the community. 

Anointed into Community

The Reading from the Prophet Malachi proclaims The Messenger of the Covenant.

* [3:1] My messenger…before me: Mt 11:10 applies these words to John the Baptist; Mt 11:14 further identifies John as Elijah (see Mal 3:23). Some take God’s messenger in v. 1a to be a person distinct from “the lord” and “the messenger of the covenant” in v. 1b; others hold that they are one and the same person. Some consider “the lord” and “the messenger of the covenant” to be divine, while others hold that in the text’s literal sense he is a messianic earthly ruler. (Malachi, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 24 celebrates the entry of God followed by the people into the Temple.

* [Psalm 24] The Psalm apparently accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God (invisibly enthroned upon the ark), followed by the people, into the Temple. The Temple commemorated the creation of the world (Ps 24:1–2). The people had to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary (Ps 24:3–6; cf. Ps 15). A choir identifies the approaching God and invites the very Temple gates to bow down in obeisance (Ps 24:7–10). (Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter to Hebrews proclaims Exaltation through Abasement.

* [2:5–18] The humanity and the suffering of Jesus do not constitute a valid reason for relinquishing the Christian faith. Ps 8:5–6 is also applied to Jesus in 1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22; and probably 1 Pt 3:22. This christological interpretation, therefore, probably reflects a common early Christian tradition, which may have originated in the expression the son of man (Heb 2:6). The psalm contrasts God’s greatness with man’s relative insignificance but also stresses the superiority of man to the rest of creation, of which he is lord. Hebrews applies this christologically: Jesus lived a truly human existence, lower than the angels, in the days of his earthly life, particularly in his suffering and death; now, crowned with glory and honor, he is raised above all creation. The author considers all things as already subject to him because of his exaltation (Heb 2:8–9), though we do not see this yet. The reference to Jesus as leader (Heb 2:10) sounds the first note of an important leitmotif in Hebrews: the journey of the people of God to the sabbath rest (Heb 4:9), the heavenly sanctuary, following Jesus, their “forerunner” (Heb 6:20). It was fitting that God should make him perfect through suffering, consecrated by obedient suffering. Because he is perfected as high priest, Jesus is then able to consecrate his people (Heb 2:11); access to God is made possible by each of these two consecrations. If Jesus is able to help human beings, it is because he has become one of us; we are his “brothers.” The author then cites three Old Testament texts as proofs of this unity between ourselves and the Son. Ps 22:22 is interpreted so as to make Jesus the singer of this lament, which ends with joyful praise of the Lord in the assembly of “brothers.” The other two texts are from Is 8:17, 18. The first of these seems intended to display in Jesus an example of the trust in God that his followers should emulate. The second curiously calls these followers “children”; probably this is to be understood to mean children of Adam, but the point is our solidarity with Jesus. By sharing human nature, including the ban of death, Jesus broke the power of the devil over death (Heb 2:4); the author shares the view of Hellenistic Judaism that death was not intended by God and that it had been introduced into the world by the devil. The fear of death (Heb 2:15) is a religious fear based on the false conception that death marks the end of a person’s relations with God (cf. Ps 115:17–18; Is 38:18). Jesus deliberately allied himself with the descendants of Abraham (Heb 2:16) in order to be a merciful and faithful high priest. This is the first appearance of the central theme of Hebrews, Jesus the great high priest expiating the sins of the people (Heb 2:17), as one who experienced the same tests as they (Heb 2:18). (Hebrews, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke proclaims the Presentation in the Temple.

* [2:22] Their purification: syntactically, their must refer to Mary and Joseph, even though the Mosaic law never mentions the purification of the husband. Recognizing the problem, some Western scribes have altered the text to read “his purification,” understanding the presentation of Jesus in the temple as a form of purification; the Vulgate version has a Latin form that could be either “his” or “her.” According to the Mosaic law (Lv 12:2–8), the woman who gives birth to a boy is unable for forty days to touch anything sacred or to enter the temple area by reason of her legal impurity. At the end of this period she is required to offer a year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a turtledove or young pigeon as an expiation of sin. The woman who could not afford a lamb offered instead two turtledoves or two young pigeons, as Mary does here. They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord: as the firstborn son (Lk 2:7) Jesus was consecrated to the Lord as the law required (Ex 13:2, 12), but there was no requirement that this be done at the temple. The concept of a presentation at the temple is probably derived from 1 Sm 1:24–28, where Hannah offers the child Samuel for sanctuary services. The law further stipulated (Nm 3:47–48) that the firstborn son should be redeemed by the parents through their payment of five shekels to a member of a priestly family. About this legal requirement Luke is silent. (Luke, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Joan Blandin Howard comments that today, Luke tells us of a different presentation and reception - yet equally joyful in a milder manner. An elderly man, “Simeon… righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him…”.  The Spirit revealed, and Simeon recognized the infant as “Christ of the Lord”.  As did the priest in the church, Simeon “…took (received) him (Jesus) into his arms and blessed God… (saying)  Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace….”  Rejoicing in the presence of God, Simeon was ready to die.  God had fulfilled Simeon’s greatest desire - to see the Lord.

Ostensibly, this reading from Luke is about the infant Jesus being dedicated to God in the temple.  Praying with this passage, possibly it is also about recognizing and receiving the presence of “Christ of the Lord” as did Simeon and Anna. I invite us to pray with this scripture and meditate on what it means to recognize and receive Jesus.  When, where, and who has entered my life, revealing the presence of Jesus, of God? In the temple, Jesus was presented to all of us.  How do I rejoice in that? How does my life reflect the joy of Jesus’ presence? (Blandin Howard, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Christ who was rich became poor,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"For this reason it seems wonderful that the sacrifice of Mary was not the first offering, that is, 'a lamb a year old,' but the second, since 'she could not afford' (Leviticus 5:7) the first. For as it was written about her, Jesus' parents came 'to offer a sacrifice' for him,'according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."' But this also shows the truth of what was written, that Jesus Christ 'although he was rich, became a poor man' (2 Corinthians 8:9). Therefore, for this reason, he chose both a poor mother, from whom he was born, and a poor homeland, about which it is said, 'But you, O Bethlehem Ephratha, who are little to be among the clans of Judah' (Micah 5:2), and the rest. (excerpt from HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 8.4.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 2:22-40 comments that outwardly, it’s easy to miss the spiritual reality of what is happening when we celebrate a sacrament. But we know, for instance, that in the waters of Baptism, sin is washed away and we are adopted into God’s family! We know that in Reconciliation, we are restored “to God’s grace” and joined “with him in an intimate friendship” (1468). And we believe that the Eucharist, “the source and summit of the Christian life,” unites us to Christ and enables us to “anticipate” heaven (1324, 1326).

Just as Mary and Joseph were blessed to witness God’s plan unfold through their simple act of obedience, ask the Lord to help you see how he is at work in your life through the sacraments. The next time you receive the Eucharist, thank him for his presence in what seem like ordinary bread and wine, and for uniting himself to you in such a personal way. As you prepare for Confession, keep in mind the joy you will experience of being reconciled to the Lord. And praise God for all the ways heaven touches earth every single day!

“Lord, open my eyes with wonder to see all that you are doing in my life today.” (Meditation on Luke 2:22-40, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the passage from Malachi speaks about a messenger preparing the way in the Temple. Simeon and Anna recognize the messenger as Jesus. The Letter to the Hebrews proclaims Jesus came to save those who needed Him as a high priest, who is “made perfect” in being ordained as our high priest to show us the Way out of our mess. Luke, a Gentile, does not fully understand Jewish ritual. The Holy Family brings a sacrifice to celebrate the redemption of the first born. Mary is presented in an image that Mary’s thoughts would be pierced by the Word of God. She would be called to believe the impossible, “her son as the Son of God”, and Luke recognizes her as the perfect disciple. Jesus goes to Nazareth to grow and increase in wisdom in recognition of His emptying of His Divine Prerogatives.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Theologian Cindy Lee who explains how Moses and the Israelites practiced Sabbath as a liberating rhythm of life. Sabbath breaks the nonstop, violent cycle of production and consumption. It breaks our greed by forcing us to stop continually trying to do more and gain more. The Sabbath system is a just and equal system because all—animals, land, landowners, servants, and foreigners—enjoy the same rest. None of us has ever truly experienced a Sabbath, however, because we still live in a world where foreigners, servants, land, and animals do not get sufficient rest. Imagine a world where we all had equal rest.

The healing power of the Sabbath comes when we embrace it as a collective practice

The Western church has taught Sabbath keeping as an individual practice of taking a day off and missed the understanding of Sabbath as a collective posture that orients us toward a just society where all can find rest. Therefore, even as our individual rest is important, we also need to help others in our communities to rest. Keeping the Sabbath rhythm requires everyone in the community, including those with privilege and power, to participate so that all can rest. The practice of communal rest is meant to train us into a way of living as a society. As someone who is privileged to take days off and go on retreats, I need to look at my community. These are questions I’ve found helpful to ask myself: Who can I free to rest? Who is exhausted? Who is not getting enough rest? And what little part can I do to help lessen their load so they can rest too? (Rohr, n.d.)

We invite the Spirit to reveal the deeper meaning in our liturgical practices that call us to use our personal experience of Divine Presence as the initiation of our action to make Jesus present in our communities as we live His Way.

References

Blandin Howard, J. (n.d.). Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Creighton On Line Ministries. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-2-2026 

Hebrews, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/2?14 

Luke, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/2?22 

Malachi, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/malachi/3?1 

Meditation on Luke 2:22-40. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/02/1492402/ 

Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/24?7 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/justice-requires-rest-for-all/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Favor of God Was upon Him. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/