A Reading of the holy gospel according to Mt 12:38-42 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nin'eveh 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. 42The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. Reading: Mt 12:38-42 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nin'eveh 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. 42The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. Commentary: Sign of the prophet Jonah... heart of the earth: Christ alluded to his own Resurrection from the dead. Greater than Jonah . . . greater than Solomon: Along with his claim to be greater than the Temple (cf. Mt 12:6), Christ identified himself with God. Judgment: At the end of time, Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. Those who reject Christ will face eternal condemnation. Sin, left unchecked, leads to greater sin; if the "present generation" fails to heed the call to repentance, it will become more deeply steeped in evil, which will make repentance that much more difficult. (CCC 590, 627, 635, 678-679, 994) Works Cited Ignatius Press. The Didache Bible : With Commentaries Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2014. Edited by Rev. James Socias, 2nd ed., Downers Grove, Il, Midwest Theological Forum, Inc. ; San Francisco, Ca, 5 Jan. 2015, pp. 4, 787.