Jonah 3:1-10 / Luke 11:29-32
Our human ability to understand and comprehend what is around us is usually through our five senses.
Then our intelligence will discern and judge what our situation is and what we need to do.
But of course, we want the process of understanding and comprehending, as well as discerning and judging to be quick.
We want things moving and done, as we don’t want to waste too much time thinking and thinking.
So we want things to be clear and obvious, and we don’t want to look and search for information and details.
But very often, the very thing that we are looking for is that thing that we overlook and don’t think much about it or even reject it.
In the gospel, the people seems to be looking for signs, signs that are dramatic and spectacular, signs that are loud and big.
But Jesus made them look at the signs that were already there: the sign of Jonah and the Ninevites, and the sign of king Solomon and the Queen of the South.
The sign of Jonah and the Ninevites is an obvious sign of the mercy and compassion of God for a people who are repentant.
That is also the sign of God’s love, mercy and compassion for us in this season of Lent.
There is no need for more signs. Rather let us repent with prayer, penance and almsgiving.