History repeating

Gospel: Lk 11:29-32

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022124.cfm

History repeats itself, but yet is always different. In today’s gospel, Jesus compares himself to Jonah. Jonah reluctantly shared God’s message with the Ninevites. Hearing his message the Ninevites changed their ways by ending their violence, repenting from their other sins, and fasting.

Unlike Jonah, Jesus was a willing prophet. Like Jonah, he came to witness to the misguided in the world so that they may repent. There was still hope that the people in Jesus’s time would change their ways, but it would not be on their terms or expectations. They wanted to be saved by their Roman captivity. He was there to share the good news with them, heal the sick and ailing, and feed the hungry. He wanted them to transform their worldview and go beyond their present understanding of suffering and duelist thinking. They were so worried about their oppression from outside forces that they overlooked the needs of those around them. The salvation that Jesus offered went beyond that of freedom from the Romans; it’s a liberation that makes the Roman occupation seem meaningless.

We have a lot of people in our time who think about how evil our present generation is, but look around and you can find God’s work present. It may not always be how or from whom we’d expect it, but that’s God’s way of helping us transform and grow. He calls us all to go beyond our limited thinking to love more and follow in his example. He is calling us to be that transforming force in the world.