Judgment

Biblical depiction of judgment in the prophecy of Jonah 3:1-10 and Luke 11:29-31 provides us with a powerful idea worth spreading. It is the project of today’s reflection.

The message is about God, who is concerned that the sinful people of Nineveh would perish and sends a prophet to warn them (Jonah 3:1-10). It is about the Blessed Lord Jesus, who restates the Jonah event as a reference point to generational differences between “this generation” and the repentant people of Nineveh (Luke 11:29-31). It is about two groups of audiences—one humble and repentant from the top down, the other dismissive of judgment. Ultimately, it is about God’s heart that desires not the loss of the sinners, but a humble reconciliation unto righteous paths, the path of saving grace. This message is central to the mood of the first four weeks of Lent.

God Initiates Reconciliation

The active role of God as the initiator of our reconciliation is evident in the stories. For example, in the story of Jonah, we see how God sends Jonah to Nineveh to deliver a message of judgment. However, when the people of Nineveh hear the news, they immediately turn to God in repentance. They fast and wear sackcloth as a sign of their humility before God. Even the king of Nineveh leads this repentance, proclaiming that the Ninevites should refrain from eating or drinking anything until God’s mercy is granted.

This story teaches us that our actions and sincere repentance for our sins are always a fresh start. Repentance is always a good thing. Ongoing repentance is a blessing. No one has fulfilled their mission in life or reached the heights of blessings without the hearts of mea culpa. When we receive divine promptings, sometimes through jolting experiences, it is a grace-filled nudge to introspective reflection. They remind us to make a U-turn if we follow the wrong path.

Consider a child or a student told by parents and teachers that everything he or she does is good. How would that child turn out? Or consider a system that wants to avoid people feeling bad by institutionalizing mediocrity. How would that system or organization ever be successful in the long run? Repentance is another way of saying taking responsibility. Only those destined for great heights take responsibility.

Our Response to Grace

When the people of Nineveh turned away from their wickedness and sought forgiveness from God, Divine Mercy, following them like the “hound of heaven” (Francis Thompson), enveloped them and healed their wounds. Mercy was with them from the start, but they did not give it a chance. When they did, they received a reversal of generational decay. There was a new beginning full of hope and blessings. Divine judgment became, for them, a turning point.

In Luke 11:29-31, Jesus uses the story of Jonah to illustrate a point about judgment. He compares himself to Jonah as someone who will serve as a sign for future generations. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so too will Jesus be a sign to us. As believers, in everyday events, we receive the Lord’s life and hear his promptings nudging us on the right path. When we join in the public worship of the Body of Christ in different forms, the Lord whispers to us, and we connect and continue to live in him. We have seen, and we believe. The Lord stands tall before us. His standards set the pace and path for what is holy.

Unlike Jonah, he comes willingly to give us life. Unlike Jonah, he continues to live in and within our communities to remind us that “I am with you” (Emmanuel). For “in him, we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Life in God is righteousness. Life rejecting God is sin.

Therefore, let us take these passages as an opportunity for self-reflection and examination of conscience. Are we living following God’s will? Are there areas where we need to ask for forgiveness? Grace to you and me. Amen.

God love you. God bless you.

Watch Today’s One-Minute Inspiration

One of the best greetings ever is to wish someone grace and peace. #grace #peace #blessings