＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Jonah 3:1-10

 The word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time: 

“Go to Ni­ne­veh, the great city, and announce to them the message I give you.”  In obedience to the word of Yah­weh, Jonah went to Nineveh. It was a very large city, and it took three days just to cross it. So Jo­nah walked a single day’s journey and began proclaiming, “Forty days more and Nineveh will be de­stroyed.”

 The people of the city believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.  Upon hearing the news, the king of Nineveh got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. He issued a proclamation throughout Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles, no people or beasts, herd or flock, will taste anything; neither will they eat nor drink. But let people and beasts be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call aloud to God, turn from his evil ways and violence. Who knows? God may yet relent, turn from his fierce anger and spare us.”

 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened upon them.

 

Ps 51:3-4, 12-13,18-19

A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 11:29-32

As the crowd increased, Jesus began to speak in this way, “People of the present time are evil people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah.

 As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here there is greater than Solomon. 

The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here there is greater than Jonah.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Signs are confirmation that the spoken words is real and can be trusted. Thus their main function is to validate the word. However, the reference of the sign and how they can be interpreted correctly is dependent on the word uttered.

We ００need to listen to the word and understand them before the sign could be unpacked. The problem with the people who does not believe in Jesus is they demand for a sign without believing in Jesus’ words.

Thus even if they see Him performing wondrous signs like the healing of so many people afflicted by various maladies, they insist that His power comes from the devil. Because of this, Jesus will not give them any signs. It is useless because they rejected His words.