LOOK OUT!

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND REFLECTIONS FOR WEDNESDAY OF FIRST WEEK OF LENT

Reading 1

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:“Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD’s bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,” when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles:“Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish.”When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Responsorial Psalm

R. (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.

R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

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

For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

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

Gospel

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. 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.”

Meditation: Do you pay careful attention to warning signs?

Many fatalities could be avoided if people paid attention to warning signs. So many needless deaths are caused because someone didn’t obey traffic signals or signs. I saw so many of these when I was a police chaplain and they were all so much more tragic because people made stupid mistakes or errors of judgment so in those circumstances, it was someone’s own stupid fault.

So it will be at the last judgement. No one is going to blame God for the fact that they are not in Heaven. They will see the stupid things they did that led to their own damnation. That is why I explain Hell as a place of eternal regret. Those in hell will be spending the rest of eternity regretting not listening to the warning signs.

 When the religious leaders demanded a sign from Jesus, He gave them a serious warning to avert spiritual disaster. It was characteristic of the Jews that they demanded "signs" from God's messengers to authenticate their claims. When the religious leaders pressed Jesus to give proof for his claims he says in so many words that he is God's sign and that they need no further evidence from heaven than his own person. The Ninevites recognized God's warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented. And the Queen of Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon. Jonah was God's sign and his message was the message of a merciful God for the people of Nineveh.

Unfortunately the religious leaders were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist and now they reject Jesus as God's Anointed One (Messiah) and they fail to heed his message. Simeon had prophesied at Jesus' birth that he was "destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that inner thoughts of many will be revealed"

(Luke 2:34-35). Jesus confirmed his message with many miracles in preparation for the greatest sign of all - His resurrection on the third day.

The Lord Jesus came to set us free from slavery to sin and hurtful desires.

Through the gift of the Holy Spirit he pours his love into our hearts that we may understand his will for our lives and walk in his way of holiness. God searches our hearts, not to condemn us, but to show us where we need his saving grace and help. He calls us to seek him with true repentance, humility, and the honesty to see our sins for what they really are - a rejection of his love and will for our lives. God will transform us if we listen to his word and allow his Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Ask the Lord to renew your mind and to increase your thirst for his wisdom.

James says that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity (James 3:17). A double-minded person cannot receive this kind of wisdom. The single of mind desire one thing alone - God's pleasure. God wants us to delight in him and to know the freedom of his truth and love. Do you thirst for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)? "Lord Jesus, change my heart and fill me with your wisdom that I my love your ways. Give me grace and courage to resist temptation and stubborn wilfulness that I may truly desire to do what is pleasing to you."

The following reflection is courtesy of Presentation Ministries (c) 2013. Their website is located at presentationministries.com

TWO-TIMING

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time." Jonah 3:1

God came to Jonah a second time (Jon 3:1), and a sinful city of 120,000 people repented (Jon 3:5; 4:11). Jesus came to Peter a second time (Jn 21:1ff), and soon three thousand people converted and were baptized (Acts 2:41). We are called to spread God's Word, and the Lord gives us a major role to play in distributing His Word. Certainly, developing and exercising our spiritual and natural gifts, our creativity at spreading the Word of God and permeating the culture with the Gospel (Catechism, 899) are important. That's why God calls us and gifts us with the Holy Spirit. That's why we write this booklet! However, the biggest issue is not our abilities, but whether we will get off the couch and get to work. Notice the parable of the sower and the seed (Mk 4:3). Jesus doesn't mention whether the sower was emotionally distressed, bitter, happy, or skillful. The only thing Jesus says about the sower is that he "went out sowing" (Mk 4:3). That is, the sower got up that morning and put the seed out. God's Word has power of its own (Is 55:10-11; Heb 4:12). It grows and spreads of itself (Mk 4:27), not because of the merits of whoever sows it. "There is no chaining the word of God!" (2 Tm 2:9) So, Satan instead tries to persuade us to slip into some chains. If he can shackle us with chains of sin, addictions, compulsions, sloth, fear, apathy, etc., he's kept the Word of God from spreading as far as it otherwise would. Have you let God down? God lets you start a second time. Get out there and get out God's Word.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may I be generous in doing Your will and spreading Your Word. Help me to have the courage to take advantage of the opportunities you give me this day to be your messenger. Let me speak words of encouragement and hope that point to Your loving Presence in the life of those I meet this day. I need your help to be Your voice because I am weak and ashamed.

Promise: "The people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth." John 3:5