Word to the Wise
Monday, October 16, 2023 - Monday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 1:1-7 and Luke 11:29-32]While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise up and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here." [Luke]
When I was a student brother, studying philosophy in River Forest, IL, one of my fellow student brothers had a small sign on his door which read: REPENT!* The asterisk referred to small print at the bottom of the sign: "If you have already repented, kindly disregard this message!" I'm not sure we can ever disregard the message!
On more than one occasion, Jesus shows exasperation with the crowds who seem more interested in miracles ("signs") than they are in his message of repentance and faith. He is showing them something greater than Jonah (prophetic figure) and Solomon (wisdom figure) but all the crowds care about is a "sign." But, repentance is not entertainment! The problem is still with us.
Every year there is some unusual event, whether it be a weeping statue or an incorrupt body or unexplainable cure or apparition that gets media and public attention. Eventually the news cycle moves on and the "sign" either is forgotten or is celebrated by a shrine of some kind that attracts devotees. I have witnessed the power of this at Lourdes and have heard from friends the influence of a visit to a particular place of devotion. Preachers seem a dime a dozen, but "signs" get attention. But once the spiritual euphoria wears off, the task of repentance remains. The bottom line, when all is said and done, is repentance. This is the message, "sign" or no "sign." Repentance is not simply sorrow for individual sins, it is a whole way of discipleship. What does Jesus have to do to get our attention? AMEN