Overview:

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

A Reflection for Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,
“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fastand all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.(Jonah 3:45)

Find today’s readings here.

Props to the people of Nineveh.

Here was a notoriously wicked city, a city that Jonah, famously, wanted nothing to do with. But when the word of God reached them, calling them to repent, they didn’t hesitate. They immediately—“all of them, great and small”—started doing their penance. And because of their humility before God, their city was saved.

Now let’s turn to the Gospel: “Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” The people of Nineveh listened to Jonah. But do the people of Jesus’ time listen to him? Some do, but many do not. And because of this Jesus is, clearly, annoyed: “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. ” 

Nineveh was eventually destroyed by its enemies. But the people who listened to Jonah on that day—those who showed a “heart contrite and humbled,” to quote today’s Psalm—get a shout out from Jesus, and a promise to be there on judgment day. 

When we hear God calling us, do we, like the people of Nineveh, drop everything? Or are we, like the people of Jesus’ time, a little distracted, looking for signs? 

This Lent, let’s take a lesson from the residents of the original sin city. Listen out for God’s voice, and have a contrite heart.

Tim Reidy joined America’s staff in October 2006 and served as online editor for several years before moving into his current role as the deputy editor in chief. Tim oversees America’s newsroom, directing its daily news coverage as well as working with the editorial leadership team to plan each print issue. Tim also edits the magazine’s Ideas section, where he contributes book reviews and essays. Before joining America, he worked at the Hartford Courant, a newspaper in Connecticut, and Commonweal magazine. In addition to writing for America, he has contributed to The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and the Princeton Alumni Weekly. He has been interviewed about the Catholic Church on WNYC in New York, ABC, Bloomberg TV and other media outlets. Tim also serves on the board of directors of Jesuit Refugee Service USA. He lives in Bronxville, N.Y., with his wife and two children.