When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation.
The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!
The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Jesus’ words are harsh; is he talking to me? I am tempted to exclude myself, but I tend to seek signs, while ignoring the ones in plain sight. I condemn myself in my failure to recognize the One among us, the One who is greater than Jonah, or Solomon, the One who is in the destitute, the disenfranchised, who exists on the margins; the One I walk by every day, without truly seeing.
St. Ignatius asks “What more can I do for Christ?” It might start with me actually noticing him. I so often compartmentalize my commitment to seeing the One. I make my solidarity with the One a mental exercise, free of Incarnation. I ask for signs, but the signs are all around me.
I want to believe Jesus is talking about those people, but I cannot assume this; he is talking to me, and it is Wisdom. May I be attentive.
—Tom Murray teaches Theology at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, NE.
Lord, as I work out my salvation in fear and trembling, allow me to feel discomfort, to never rest in my desire to serve you, to see you in the faces of all who suffer, and to heed your words, especially the ones that are difficult to hear. Help me to never rest until the race has been run, and to heed the Wisdom you give to all who will listen.
—Tom Murray
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St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, taught that a daily prayer practice helps us to discover God at work in our lives. The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy invites you to join us in this Ignatian tradition of prayer, reflection, and discovery.
