Show us a Sign

“Show us a sign, that we might believe in you.” That’s what the Jewish religious leaders and the people were demanding of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel just before today’s reading. Never mind what they had heard about the healing of lepers and the lame, the deaf being made to hear, and the blind being given their sight - they needed to see it with their own eyes. They wanted a PERSONAL sign, something THEY could see and touch. Then maybe they might consider Jesus as something other than a magician or a false prophet.

But Jesus calls them out as an evil and apostate generation who ignores their history and the prophesies of their faith. He points them back to their heritage, to the story of the prophet Jonah and the repentance of Nineveh that we heard in our first reading. Jonah was a reluctant prophet at best. But he answers the Lord’s call and delivers God’s warning to the people of Nineveh. “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” But unlike the Jews — the chosen people — in our Gospel, the pagan people of Nineveh, from the king all the way down, recognize and embrace the message, the sign, of Jonah’s prophesy, his call to repentance. The people of Nineveh truly answer God’s call. They repent of their sinfulness, abandon their evil ways and turn to back to God.

So what about us? Are we any different from the crowd in today’s Gospel? What sign are WE seeking? We have Sacred Scripture. We have the very words and teachings of Christ himself in our Gospels. And we have the benefit of over two millennia of contemplation, meditation, and interpretation by the Magisterium of the Church. And yet, how often do we live our lives as if we’re waiting from some new sign, that one TRUE sign, so that WE might believe?

As Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, no new signs will be given. We need to spend some time in reflection and prayer, and recognize the God-given signs in our lives. As we make our Lenten journey, we need to examine our conscience, looking for the signs of God’s presence in ourselves and in others. And like the people of Nineveh, we need to HEED the signs God has given us, turn back to him, repent of our sins, and open ourselves to receive God into our hearts. In this blessed season, let us strive to become the signs of God for others to see. May you have a blessed and fruitful Lent.