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.
In today’s Gospel reading from Luke, a clearly exasperated Jesus says that this is “an evil generation.” Another translation uses the term, “evil age,” and it was likely a challenging time for the Jewish community in first century Palestine under Roman rule. Throughout this year, I have often felt the same way, with the sufferings caused by the pandemic, signs of continuing racial injustice, political strife, fires, and more bad news dominating our headlines and my own interior life. I understand the desire to find some meaning in this continuing flow of hard times. St. Ignatius suggests we pay particular attention to these interior movements or reactions as the possible “signs” that Jesus said the people were looking for. Then, and now, this is the sacred space where God is at work in our lives, accompanying us, consoling us and inviting us to consider how to experience the “greater” presence in our lives that Jesus was calling his listeners to encounter as well. Something greater is in fact a part of our present reality if we can exercise our noticing and reflection muscles a little more often. In his wonderful book, Tattoos on the Heart, which illustrates themes of the Spiritual Exercises in the life of Homeboy Industries,, Fr. Greg Boyle talks about “the slow work of God” as we fumble in the dark for “grace and flashlights.” Where is your flashlight pointing today? —Tom Reynolds is the Higher Education Assistant for the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province. Lord, help us to notice the signs of your presence in our lives, whether they are big or small. Illuminate those moments of grace that draw us into deeper relationship with you. Amen. —The Jesuit Prayer teamSigns of Jesus in our time
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Ignatian spirituality reminds us that God pursues us in the routines of our home and work life, and in the hopes and fears of life's challenges. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, created the Spiritual Exercises to deepen our relationship with Christ and to move our contemplation into service. May this prayer site anchor your day and strengthen your resolve to remember what truly matters.
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