Paying Attention to Jesus
Homily for Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
March 12, 2025
Homily for Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
March 12, 2025
Homily for Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
Luke 11:29-32
Jesus’ tone in this evening’s Gospel is unclear. While Jesus’ words sound stern – “This generation is an evil generation,” he says, “The queen of the South will rise at the judgment… and condemn them…. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment… and condemn it” – [while Jesus’ words sound stern], yet Jesus’ cites Jonah, which is perhaps the least stern of the prophetic books. In Jonah, on the boat during the storm in chapter 1, for example, in contrast to strict Hebrew monotheism, the author seems to allow for the existence of other gods: “Then the sailors were afraid, and each cried to his god…” (1:5).
And then again in chapter 3 (from which we heard this evening), when the people of Nineveh repented, God spared them. The Assyrians (whose capital was Nineveh) were ruthless and brutal, the “evil empire” of their day. And yet in Jonah God had mercy even on the people of Nineveh. How stern could Jesus have been if he cites the example of Jonah and refers to the people of Nineveh?
Might I suggest that however we hear Jesus’ words, whether as stern or perhaps not so stern (and maybe sorrowful or resigned or whatever), [might I suggest that] the way in which we hear Jesus’ words is the way in which the Spirit wants us to hear Jesus’ words.
In his Spiritual Exercises,Ignatius of Loyola notes that the “Good Spirit” will alternately “prick and bite” our conscience and “give courage, strength and consolations,” depending on what the Good Spirit knows we need. If we need rousing from a way of life that is deadening, the Good Spirit will“prick and bite.” If we are“progressing from good to better in the service of our Lord,” then the Spirit will “give courage, strength and consolations.” And sometimes the Good Spirit might do both at once, so it takes discernment to understand where the Spirit is leading.
As we consider tonight’s Gospel from Luke chapter 11, I invite us to pay attention to what happens inside when you hear Jesus say, “This generation is an evil generation… No sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Maybe notice things like: How do you feel? What internal defenses might be being activated? Do you find yourself turning away, or perhaps turning toward, Jesus? Do you find yourself wanting to hear more, or do you find yourself wanting to end the conversation?
When I hear Jesus’ words, I find myself feeling a little afraid. “Am I part of this ‘evil generation’?” “Will I also be condemned?” And so I know that in my prayer, I would do well to ask Jesus these questions and to listen for what he might have to say.
The Holy Spirit is always at work in our lives seeking to bring us closer to God. In whatever way we might receive Jesus’ words in tonight’s Gospel, know that God wants us to draw closer, and that the Spirit is working to draw us closer. Perhaps the most important thing is to keep showing up and to keep paying attention: keep showing up to those places in which we know we are likely to encounter Jesus, especially in the scriptures; and keep paying attention to what happens inside when we do encounter him. The more we pay attention, believed Ignatius, the more we would see Jesus and the Spirit at work in our lives. And the more we come to know Jesus, Ignatius believed, the more we come to love him. And loving him – and allowing him to love us– makes all the difference in our lives.
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