Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11, 29-32
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Signs
1. Evil. Many people around you will be demanding and will constantly ask for more from you. The problem is when your entire life revolves around trying to satisfy others, because you’ll never be able to fully please them. I’m thinking about how many times I, as a priest, wear myself out trying to satisfy my congregation, and they always find something to criticize. But it’s clear and understandable: everyone focuses on their own needs; they don’t care if you’re well, sick, or struggling; they just want you to do what they claim. So, you see that the crowd always has a bit of malice in it. The main problem is if you feed into that malice or choose to become a part of it yourself.
2. Jonah. He was a prophet who didn’t want to follow God’s will. If someone is calm while your life is full of storms, it’s likely that person is causing the turmoil while watching you struggle. That’s why you must do what they did with Jonah (Jonah 1:4)—get him off the ship. Sometimes, it’s necessary to remove from your life people who are creating storms and trying to sink you.
3. Greater. In this life, we will always find people who make our lives easier and encourage us to keep going. But we have to learn to listen, remembering that we are not self-sufficient, and most importantly, we must understand that we can’t handle everything, and we don’t have to. Allow yourself to be helped and learn to live by the advice of those who truly love you.
Remember that something good is on the way! God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
