First Week of Lent
21st February 2024 (Wednesday)
Psalter: Week 1
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Jonah 3:1-10
The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19 (R. 19b)
R/. A broken and humbled heart, O God you will not spurn.
Verse Before The Gospel
V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ
R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ
V/. Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, for I am gracious and merciful.
R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Gospel : Luke 11:29-32
At that time: When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Evil generation!
Guidelines: One big tragedy of today’s society is the lack of openness and receptivity to the good and the positive. Still, further, there is unreflected haste to embrace fully the evil and the negative
1. In today’s gospel, Jesus is very strong in his rebuke of the people of his time. He says, “This generation is an evil generation”. He also makes the reason explicit. It is because they seek signs to believe in God’s power working through Jesus.
2. In fact, there may not be anything wrong with seeking signs. And many times, we too seek signs. But the problem is not the lack of them. They are always there but people are not ready to recognize and accept them. And even if they see them, they are not ready to follow what they signify.
3. Besides, the problem was also the purpose and the intention with which they wanted the signs. It is not to confirm their faith, or to be assured and strengthened. Rather, it was a pretext, an excuse not to believe Jesus. It was an “evasive” mechanism.
4. There were plenty of signs all through their history. God performed numberless signs in the form of mighty works and wonders during their slavery, exile, and sojourns. Again and again, numerous encounters and events confirmed to them God’s protection, care, guidance, and empowerment. The reference to the prophet Jonah and his mission is itself a sign of repentance and God’s mercy.
5. Not only in their past history but in their present time itself, in the person and mission of Jesus himself, there were many signs through his preaching, teaching, and healing. His life and mission are themselves ample signs and testimonies of God’s love, mercy, and compassion. They were meant to arouse repentance in the people and lead them to conversion.
Practice: The world of today is no different from that generation. This generation too adamantly refuses to see and follow signs
