20260225 A CALL TO DECISION AND REPENTANCE IN FAITH
25 February 2026, Wednesday, 1st Week of Lent
First reading | Jonah 3:1-10 |
The Ninevites repent, and God spares them
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 50(51):3-4,12-13,18-19 |
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
Gospel Acclamation | Ezk33:11 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Or: | Joel2:12-13 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel | Luke 11:29-32 |
As Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be a sign
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.’
A CALL TO DECISION AND REPENTANCE IN FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4,12-13,18-19; Lk 11:29-32]
In the first week of Lent, the Church calls us to take repentance seriously. In the first reading, we have the example of the Ninevites who were living evil and sinful lives. They were barbarians and were feared and hated by the Jews because of their cruelty. Hence, we can understand why Jonah was initially reluctant when called to proclaim the Word of God to them. Jonah resisted because he knew too well that the God of Israel is a merciful God. As we hear in today’s Responsorial Psalm, “A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.” Jonah knew that God would forgive the Ninevites if they repented. And so he refused to answer the call of God to preach to the them.
Attempting to run away from God’s call, Jonah took a ship bound for Tarshish instead of Nineveh. He thought he could run away from the presence of the Lord. But God sent a violent storm that threatened to destroy the ship. In order to save the rest of the people in the ship, Jonah told the mariners to throw him into the sea so that the storm would calm down. But God wanted to teach Jonah a lesson on mercy and repentance. He saved him by sending a large fish to swallow him up and he stayed in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Through this experience, Jonah learnt about grace and mercy. Though still reluctant, Jonah eventually obeyed the command of the Lord and preached repentance to the Ninevites, secretly hoping that the people would not take heed of the message so that disaster would befall them.
Alas, not only did the people repent, but even the king as well: “And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes.” It was then promulgated throughout Nineveh that all were to fast and “call on God with all their might”, “renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done.” “God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour. And God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he threatened.” Indeed, this is the story of grace and repentance.
In the Gospel, we too are presented with a choice in the presence of Jesus. His ministry demands that we make a stand for Him or for Satan. As Jesus earlier declared, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Lk 11:23) There is no neutrality in matters of faith, as illustrated in the parable of the return of the unclean spirits to the man who had previously been exorcised. Today, it is popular to be neutral. We live in a culture where tolerance is highly valued and inclusivity is a requirement. Religious views are considered private so that others would not be offended. But neutrality and polite engagement are not always good, especially when fundamental choices in life are at stake. Mary made that choice at the Annunciation. That is why when the woman cried out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” Jesus responded, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” (Lk 11:27f)
The Gospel today reiterates the importance of deciding for Christ. The problem with neutrality is that people are always looking for more evidence before they believe. Such people deserve a rebuke from our Lord. As the crowds grew larger, Jesus told them bluntly, “This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign.” Asking for verification is not wrong in itself, but to continue delaying a decision even after seeing the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit is simply an act of avoidance and escapism from commitment. The Lord called them a wicked generation because they were always asking for more signs.
In truth, the Lord made it clear that the signs had already been given. Their problem was their refusal to believe in God’s Word. They were not ready to commit themselves to the Lord. If they refused to believe in God’s Word, no number of signs would convince them. This endless pursuit of signs is sinful simply because of one’s refusal to believe. In asking for a sign, they were rejecting God’s revelation in Christ. Signs do not produce faith, just as Abraham told the rich man in hell: “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Lk 16:31) If one’s heart is not open to the truth, signs may be interpreted as demonic, as in the case of the people accusing Jesus of working in league with Satan. (Lk 11:15) Even the greatest sign, the resurrection, will not produce faith in a closed heart. We are told that after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, “the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. (Jn 12:10f)
The only sign our Lord said would be given is the sign of Jonah and Solomon. It is important to note that the comparison between the Son of Man and Jonah is not about Jonah’s three days in the belly of the fish. Rather, it is Jonah’s preaching that led to repentance. Reinforcing the centrality of Jesus’ teaching is the example of the Queen of the South, who visited Solomon to hear his wisdom. (1 Kgs 10:1-13; 2 Chron. 9:1-12)
Now someone greater than both Jonah and Solomon stands before them, and His teaching offers what they longed to see. Indeed, all the miracles and signs of Jesus were meant to authenticate His preaching. Words must always be confirmed by signs. By rejecting His teaching, Jesus said, the Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh would rise at the Judgement to testify against that generation for rejecting Jesus. Their testimony would condemn them. To refuse Jesus is to reject the grace given to them. Instead of responding in faith and repentance, they asked for more signs. Jesus came to bring the Word of God so that people might come to know God. He reconciled sinners with God. He performed miracles to authenticate His identity and to heal and restore a fallen and wounded humanity.
Receptivity is the point of today’s liturgy. Just as the people of Nineveh repented upon hearing the preaching of Jonah, we too must listen to the teaching of Christ. We must be ready to repent of our sins and embrace the Gospel in our lives. Just as the Queen of Sheba recognised the wisdom of Solomon, we must recognise that Jesus is greater than Solomon. We must come to Him to find wisdom and truth in life. We will be judged by how we respond to God’s grace in our lives. The greater the grace, the more is demanded of us. Grace means God never imposes His will on us; it depends on our free will. To accept God’s grace without using it well is an abuse of God’s kindness. We have received the gift of faith from our parents and our forefathers, many of whom paid a costly price to convert to Christianity. We have received the Bible in our own language, yet we do not treasure it as the early Church did, when only a select few had access to the Scriptures. Complacency is what deprives us of the richness of life given to us in Christ and in the Word of God.
Thus, Jesus issues both a rebuke and an exhortation: do not be evil and seek more miraculous signs; believe the Word as the Ninevites and the Queen of the South did. Believing in the Bible is more than accepting a set of truths about God and Jesus and our salvation. Belief is a fundamental conviction of the heart arising from an experience – an encounter with Jesus as the bearer of God’s wisdom and mercy. It is then formulated in doctrines. Ultimately, commitment to a faith statement flows from the experience of the people of God. In the final analysis, making an act of faith is a matter of the heart rather than an intellectual assent to some truths. Understanding the truths or the evidence gives us the confidence to take the leap of faith in God. Consequently, the Gospel warns us of the failure to respond to God’s grace given to us for repentance. Just like the man who was exorcised but failed to follow up in discipleship, and ended up with seven other spirits more wicked than the first, we too risk a worse fate. Refusing to respond to God’s grace can lead to greater disaster, because before long the values of the world will overwhelm us.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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