HOMILY OF 28TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY OF 28TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: THE SIGN OF JONAH
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
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.
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Jesus describes the people of His time as “an evil generation!” He says this because the people are disregarding the signs shown by Jesus and the teachings He imparts to them. Instead, they keep on asking for more signs. But rather than giving in to their demand, Jesus says that the sign they are to receive is the sign of Jonah. The prophet Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh, a large pagan city living in sin and depravity.
The ‘sign of Jonah’ has three connotations in relation to the mission of Jesus. First, Jonah was sent, not to the Chosen People, but to the Gentiles. Similarly, the Gospel of Jesus will be proclaimed not only to the Jews but to the pagans as well. In fact, He finds a hearing, not from His own people but from those considered as outsiders.
Second, Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a fish. Then, on the third day, the fish spits him out right on the shores of Nineveh. Similarly, Jesus will be buried in the belly of the earth and rise up on the third day. Jonah, therefore, prefigures the coming Messiah in his death and resurrection.
Third, Jonah preached repentance to the people of Nineveh. Although he had serious doubts about the response of the people, to his great surprise, they all repented and put on sackcloth starting with the king, down to their beasts. As a result, the entire city was spared from certain destruction. This is also the same message proclaimed by Jesus in His public ministry. He calls people to repentance and conversion. Unfortunately, though, unlike the Ninevites, not many of His own people heeded His call.
Consequently, Jesus predicts their fall from God’s favor. Instead, the Gentiles who listened and obeyed God’s word will be more pleasing in God’s eyes come judgment day. Jesus mentions the “queen of the south”, the queen of Sheba who came from a faraway place just to listen to Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-10). She will condemn the present generation because they refuse to listen to Jesus who is far greater than Solomon.
Similarly, the people of Nineveh, though pagans, repented at the preaching of Jonah. So, at the judgment, they will testify against the present generation to condemn it, because they refuse to listen to Jesus who is far greater than Jonah.
The Gospel reading today, therefore, serves as a warning to us. There is always the danger that we take our faith for granted. Many of us nowadays are still looking for a sign or a miracle. We want to see something new and spectacular. The image of Jesus on the cross does not anymore evoke in us any feeling of remorse or shame. We find the Eucharistic celebration boring, and many are already doubting the Real Presence of Jesus. We are more interested to hear the latest news than about the Good News of God. We want a more dramatic sign from God, something new and exciting, simply because we have already become too familiar with the signs we see.
“This is an evil generation!” These terrifying words of Jesus are most likely being addressed to us now. May these words shake us from our complacency and smugness. It is time for us to seriously appreciate the gift of the Christian faith, and be more sensitive to the movement of God’s Spirit. It is time for us to heed the sign of Jonah and bring ourselves to repentance and conversion.
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