1st Week of Lent
01st March 2023 (Wednesday) Readings and Reflection
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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.
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
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: See the signs and repent!
Indicative: One becomes evil when he fails to discover the signs, learn from them, repent, and change his life{alertSuccess}
1. Jesus reproves his own people as an evil generation. His criticism is well-founded. They do not see the amply available signs. They demand for more. Consequently, they fail to repent and renew themselves
2. The rebuke of Jesus applies to our own times as well. Our generation too is truly evil because the goodness of heart is diminishing. There is not enough goodness to see the goodness of God and others
3. There is no sight, no willingness, and no openness to see the signs that are present everywhere. There are plenty of blessings and good things that we enjoy but do not truly deserve. There are also many lessons and indicators that strongly point to God’s mercy and His ways
4. For example, one strong sign for our times is the futility of human achievements and successes. Another sign of caution is the insane pursuits of violence and destruction, deception and self-gain, cheap tactics, and vain self-glory
5. The people of Nineveh repented at Jonah’s preaching. But today not many people pay heed to the prophetic warnings and refuse to repent. The queen of Sheba travelled far to witness the wisdom of Solomon. But today not many people take the trouble to seek wisdom and thus prefer to ruin themselves in their folly
Imperative: God is unceasingly sending us so many signs to make us understand, repent and follow His ways. If we continue evil-directed, then doom awaits us{alertSuccess}