10/16/2023 (Monday) Today’s gospel reading: Luke 11:29-32
29 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.
30 Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 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.
32 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.”
10/16/2023 (Monday) Today’s gospel reflection / homily / sermon: Luke 11:29-32
Jonah preached repentance and the whole city of Nineveh repented. In other words, the pagan people of Nineveh accepted and obeyed an ordinary preacher and the result was their salvation. Now here are the Jews. The Son of their very own “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” is in their midst preaching to them the same message of repentance as Jonah did yet most of them especially their leaders refused to accept and listen to Him.
Jesus is warning them that on judgement day, those who did not listen to Him and repent will be condemned. Jesus in fact called them evil. They are witnesses to a lot of miracles. They call Him teacher. Yet they continue to ignore His message of repentance.
The gospel reading above is giving to us people of the twenty-first century the same warning. If we do not repent and change our evil ways, we will be condemned on judgment day. We have heard the message of salvation and it is not yet too late to repent. If today, we hear His word, let us not harden our heart (Psalm 95).
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