Although we usually get Jesus message because he wisely told stories that were timeless, occasionally there are some things we miss because we dont know the historical context. Todays reflection from FaithND provides particularly helpful historic context: Gospel - March 12, 2014 Wednesday of the First Week in Lent LK 11:29-32 When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. “The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!” Reflection - March 12, 2014 This is a passage about metanoia, change of heart, which strikes to the quick of the meaning of Lent. Less about giving up chocolate, Lent is a spiritual gut-check, a time to allow grace to transform our lives anew. This transformation begins with the pain of first acknowledging our failure and utter dependence upon God. We sometimes need to be pushed or snapped back to the reality of sin in our lives. Jesuss words in todays Gospel are pushing us in just this way—he is trying to get our attention. I, for one, need this kind of wake-up call. Consumed by the burdens of daily life, I find myself concerned with many things, from work to home to family. It is hard to find time to pray. It is hard to keep God at the center. I get complacent and gloss over my sinfulness. I forget about how desperately I need Gods grace and love to continuously transform my life. Jesus knows that we get stuck, and his words often pack a punch. Though it is clear enough that he calls us here to repent, just as Jonah brought a message of repentance to the people of Ninevah, the sub-text of this passage stings. The deeper narrative of the story of Jonah, the prophet who gets swallowed by a whale, is about God asking Jonah to preach repentance to his sworn enemies. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire, which brought the northern kingdom of Israel to an end and destroyed Jerusalem in 701 BCE. The story of Jonah is a story of Gods profound mercy for the repentant, even the sworn enemies of Gods chosen people. So heres the punch: Jesus is telling his Jewish listeners that the people of Nineveh, the sworn enemies of their ancestors, will rise up and condemn them by their faithfulness. Their worst enemies repented for Jonah, Jesus is saying, and there is something greater than Jonah here. It is too easy to become stuck in the illusion that we do not utterly need Gods grace. So Jesus calls us with bold words to see our failure, repent, and recognize our need for God. May this Lent be a spiritual wake up call so that God’s grace may transform our lives anew. T.J. D’Agostino ’04, ‘06M.Ed. Associate Director, ACE Consulting Alliance for Catholic Education
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 09:32:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015