“While still more people gathered in the crowd, he 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.’” (Lk. 11:29-32 NABRE)
The men of Nineveh were convicted for their sin and were called to repentance at the preaching of Jonah. They listened and responded to God’s calling, which was preached through His servant Jonah, by repenting of their evil ways and embracing the Lord in their lives.
Today’s Gospel calls us to look inward and to ask ourselves if we truly listen to God’s voice in our own lives. When we are convicted, do we make the necessary changes to our lives to remain in communion with our Lord? Do we repent and turn from our ways, so as to unite ourselves more closely to Jesus?
May we never forget or overlook the sign that our Lord has given to us to demonstrate His boundless love and mercy. May we never become so distracted in our lives or so hard of heart, that we forget our entire calling: to seek unity with Jesus.
When we hear the Lord’s voice, calling us closer to Him, and perhaps convicting us and calling us to repentance, we must never grow cold, indifferent, or uninterested towards God working in our lives. Rather, may we listen to His call with an open heart, and respond with readiness to repent and amend our lives.
May we always look to Jesus’ Cross, embracing His love and mercy as our Savior, and answering His call to following Him and living our lives for Him.
Like the men of Nineveh, may we listen and be receptive to our Lord.
“Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
‘Harden not your hearts.’” (Hebrews 4:7)
Thank you Lexis.
We can repent before we unite ourselves more closely to Jesus. After we unite ourselves to Jesus, we can successfully turn from our ways because He provides the grace to do so. Unconditional trust in God is required for this. Attempting to turn from our ways from a position of weakness produces the predictable results.