There is no circumstance, no trouble, no testing, that can ever touch me until,
first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart. - Alan Redpath
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose. Rm. 8:28
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Jonah
3:1-10
Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19 Joel 2:12-13 The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them:
‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and 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. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah
here.’
Reflection on the Scriptures
The readings today place before us a quiet but powerful truth: God is less interested in dramatic signs and grand gestures than in hearts that are willing to change. Jonah’s second call to Nineveh reminds us that God does not easily give up
on us. The word of the Lord comes again—not because Jonah was perfect, but because God is persistent in mercy. Lent, too, is this “second time”: another chance to listen, to respond, to begin again. What is striking about Nineveh is not Jonah’s eloquence—his message is brief and stark—but the people’s openness. They believed in God. From the greatest to the smallest, including the king
himself, they step down from positions of comfort, power, and certainty. Sackcloth and ashes are outward signs, but the true conversion happens within: “every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand.” Their repentance is communal, embodied, and concrete. And God sees—not their fear, but their actions—and relents. In the Gospel, Jesus alludes to Jonah, indicating that even though He stands greater than Jonah and greater than Solomon, still their hearts remain closed.
The invitation of Jesus, therefore, is to stop searching for extraordinary proofs and instead recognize God’s presence in the ordinary, demanding moments of daily life: in conscience, in Scripture, in the quiet invitations to repent and return. -by Rashmi Fernando, S.J.
The Imitation of Christ, Thomas A. Kempis https://amzn.to/40FrikB Paperback and Kindle versions available BOOK
ONE: Thoughts Helpful in the Life of a Soul
The Fifteenth Chapter: Works Done in Charity NEVER do
evil for anything in the world, or for the love of any man. For one who is in need, however, a good work may at times be purposely left undone or changed for a better one. This is not the omission of a good deed but rather its improvement. Without charity external work is of no value, but anything done in charity, be it ever so small and trivial, is entirely fruitful inasmuch as
God weighs the love with which a person acts rather than the deed itself. He does much who loves much. He does much who does a thing well. He does well who serves the common good rather than his own interests.
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