Monday 28th week even numbered year
’The crowds got even bigger and he addressed them : ’This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given Is the sign of Jonah."
Jesus reacts to the crowd who asks for a sign – leading us towards the tomb with the announcement of the Resurrection : this is the sign.
The sign of Jonas gives us the ’conversion’ of the Ninevites. A man sent by God thunders out the Word, thus opening up the most hardened of hearts.
If a man who is sent can be a sign, how much more so can be Jesus, the Word made flesh. His Word converts humanity.
Any emitted sign is to be received. If we ask for a sign this means that we have an active attitude and that this puts us in a state of motion.
Jesus shows us today how the sign he will give to this ’bad generation’ is He Himself, like the ’sign of Jonas’. As Jonas let himself be thrown aboard so as to calm the storm and save sailors’ lives, Jesus too let himself be thrown aboard in order to pacify the tempest of sin threatening our lives. And just as Jonah lived three days in the whale’s stomach before being spat out onto the coast, Jesus too lived three days in the earth before walking out of the empty tomb.
The sign of Jesus will give to each ’bad generation’ the sign of his death and Resurrection. His death, freely accepted, is the sign of the incredible Love God has for us : Jesus gives his life in order to save our own.
“On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will stand up against the people of this generation and be their condemnation because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.; and look, here there is something greater than Solomon.”
The Queen of Saba came to Jerusalem to see Solomon, she recognised God’s power at work! And here there is much more than Salomon!
We, too, ask for the grace to be always led ahead into God’s Love. This implies a permanent conversion. Through grace we have let ourselves be ardently taken up into God’s Love taking hold of us.
When we were at this time of ’illumination’, it was so much easier to be converted to Love, now we have to take it up at each instant of our lives, it must be ever awoken, at work in our lives.
Jesus walked amongst us, moved by the Holy Spirit, He crossed the dark valley of Golgotha! On the third day He is victorious, standing amongst us once more.His resurrection from the dead is the sign of his Divine power. It is the most powerful and moving sign that has ever been given. Jesus speaks of his sorrow and pain! He has a very expressive language when talking to the crowd around him, yet he doesn’t put them under any illusion. He knows that those who are around him have a divided heart : ’This generation asks for a sign!
’ No other sign other than this Infinite Love of God will be given to us, this sign of Love reaching us through the Heart of Jesus, the One who loved mankind so much. The charity which is in God’s Heart is communicated to our heart, in this way Jesus pinpoints the essential. He gives us the possible remedy for all ills in the world.
“On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah peached they repented; and look, here tehri is something greater than Jonah.”
What proves difficult is the fact that we can get used to monotony and can become people for whom nothing much matters. We can become ’blasé’. Our conversion is Jesus Himself. It is a conversion which must be a generous one rooted in Christ, for in Him we are free to love and to be loved.
Jesus’ Mercy is made manifest in order to save the whole of humanity. We can walk ahead and be oriented ,despite our great weakness, by following Jesus whom we endeavour to follow in our history. We want to kiss the Gospel and combat so as to remain in this liberation. In this way our light will shine like the sun and we shall become an abundant orchard, a spring whose water keeps flowing on and on.
God’s Love in Jesus requires reciprocity,
God’s ’I love you’ is to provoke an ’I love you’ from us. We make the decision to remain in Christ’s Love all the time. He is at work in us and leads us well beyond ourselves.
I keep on loving you Jesus, in an ever greater love, for you give your life so as to save our own.
Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead is the sign of his Divine power of Love. It is the most powerful and moving sign that has ever been given.