Lk 11:29-32
As the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words: “People of the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah.
REFLECTION
Today’s two readings both emphasize the need for repentance. And the time of Lent is a time when we should examine our lives and try to make them better lives by eliminating whatever sinful habits may have crept into them without our being too much aware of it.
Now for some people it is easy to put a name on their most glaring failures: adulterous relationship, mean gossip, drunken sprees, drugs, slandering talk, etc. Their work is all cut out for them, if they seriously want to repent and reform their lives.
But for many good Christians, who try hard to please God in all things, it is a real challenge to find something to repent about—or so they honestly think. Well, here maybe we could mention a very common sin and one which is hardly ever confessed or repented. What is that common sin? It is the sin of ingratitude. We are all constantly showered by God with countless gifts (our five senses to start with, our family and friends, the Christian faith, etc.) and we hardly ever remember to say: THANK YOU, LORD! Let us change all that during this Lent.
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