TODAY’S READINGS

From today’s Gospel (Lk 11:29-32), hitting a chord:

“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.” (v. 29)

“Seeking a sign is an indication that ‘this generation is an evil generation.’ The phrase likens the Israelites of his day who reject him (see 17:25) to the evil generation that wandered in the wilderness and failed to enter the promised land (Num 32:13; Deut 1:35). Earlier, Jesus had criticized ‘this generation’ of his contemporaries for failing to respond to him and John (Luke 7:31; see 9:41). Here Jesus speaks six times against ‘this generation’ (11:29-32, 50-51). Because he is being rejected, Jesus frequently warns ‘this generation’ about the coming judgment (see 10:13-14; 11:19), when others will join together to condemn it for failing to hear and repent.” (The Gospel of Luke (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, 228)

“The expression ‘this generation’ can simply refer to those who are alive at the time of Jesus (see 21:32), but it often has the connotation of those who respond negatively to him (see 7:31-34; 17:25), as is the case here. This generation is ‘an evil generation’ because ‘it seeks a sign.’ After seeing Jesus free a man from a demon, some ‘to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven’ (11:160 to prove that he expelled demons by the power of God. It should be evident that Jesus is on God’s side, if he frees men and women from the grip of evil. It should also be evident that God has endowed Jesus with power, if he is overcoming the forces of Satan and healing afflictions. To demand anything more to authenticate Jesus reveals a hostile skepticism, a refusal to believe.” (Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, 325-26)

An evil generation may demand a sign, but maybe more evil is the current generation that is not even interested in a sign, since an exponentially growing number of persons do not believe in God, anyway. Who is the Jonah today that will convince our world to repent of its evil ways (see Jonah 3)? Unfortunately for many, repentance requires hearing, and so many of us are tuned out. Would we even notice the sign or hear the Word?

Let us pray fervently that God will send the sort of prophet who, like Jonah, in one sentence, softens hearts and has their owners cry bitter tears of repentance.

Jonah Preaches to the Ninevites (17th c.) by Andrea Vaccaro

God bless.