Jonah is the sign of God’s care for all

 
Reading: As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Luke 11:29.
 
Good morning, happy Wednesday, and many blessings my dear family.
 
In today’s Gospel (Luke 11:29-32) Jesus picks up from where he left off in yesterday’s Gospel.  Today Jesus bluntly tells his listeners: “This generation is an evil generation!  The people seek a sign, yet no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah.”  Jesus then likens himself to Jonah.  He says that just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, he, Jesus, is the sign for this generation.
 
There is always an interest in the unusual and the spectacular. There is a demand for signs as the ordinary does not seem to be not enough to impress or prove anything. It needs wisdom to see the deeper gift, to appreciate what lies hidden in the everyday. Lord, give us eyes to see the signs that are present and the ability to recognize your presence in the ordinary.
 
Curiosity plays a significant role in the life of many. They want to know and feel they are entitled to know. May we have curiosity about Jesus and the desire to know him and his ways more fully. We pray for a conversion of heart to bring us to a fuller relationship with him who invites us to live the ordinary in an extraordinary way.
 
I suspect that we human beings at times also ask Jesus or God for a sign.  Perhaps we hope Jesus will affirm a decision we are making.  Or we simply would like to receive a sign that Jesus is present with us.  Personally, I always want my sign to be clear and evident!  Yet Jesus tells his listeners that, he, Jesus, will be the sign to the present generation just as Jonas was the sign for the Ninevites.  Is Jesus enough of a sign for us?  Or do we desire something more visible or tangible?  Or will we trust that Jesus is present to us now and every moment of our lives?   Today and always may we believe that Jesus is the sign given to us by God!  And may we trust that Jesus is with us every moment of the day! 
 
Jonah is the sign of God’s care for all. His call was to go to a far country who did not know him or his God. He is also a sign of God’s care for us individually – his care was for Jonah’s safety. Jonah’s strength was in his trust in God. Prayer is a time of allowing trust in God to grow and become a central part of our being.
 
Like Jonah, we can be called upon to be a conduit through which God’s will is accomplished. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if our hearts are not in what we do – the fact that we do it can be enough for God to achieve astonishing results though us. Where do I see ‘signs’ of God’s activity in my life? Maybe in nature; family; friends; random acts of kindness; poverty; the homeless?
 
Blessings,
 
Luis+