Monday 28th week in ordinary time
"Lk 11:29-32"
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation...The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here."
Sometimes in our prayer we can think what it would be like to travel back in time and be able to hear Jesus 2,000 years ago preaching in Jerusalem; to see Him healing people, walk with Him along the roads of Judea, spend time chatting with Him. Wouldn't it be great? Well the fact is that many people heard Him, saw Him and walked and talked with Him and yet they didn't want to be His disciples. They saw the Son of God made man but that was not enough for them – they wanted a sign!
Someone said that mediocrity could be defined as being in front of 'greatness' and not recognising it. Those contemporaries of Our Lord stood before the greatness of the Son of God and many didn't realise it. Or maybe they realised at the beginning but later they got used to Him, took His miracles and Words for granted... Too bad to get used to having God in the midst of us.
Lucy, a four-year-old girl, went for the first time to her grandparents' country house. At night, when everything was dark outside, she suddenly came running in from the garden, stormed into the lounge where the grown-ups were having coffee and started shouting to her mum, "Come! Come, mum!" and pulling her hand, the girl urged her to stand up and follow her out to the garden. Mum rushed out behind the child, fearing that something was wrong. Once in the garden, Lucy pointed at the sky with her little finger: "Look!" There, the startling sight of millions of blinking stars covering the whole sky had the child dumbstruck; and the mum as well.
Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, with your help, may I never get used to having your Son in the Tabernacle and being able to see Him, talk to Him... eat Him! There is Someone greater than Jonah there.