Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
March 4, 2020
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation.
“The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!
“The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!”
We have all had situations in school, at work, or in our personal lives where someone changed or increased the criteria for a goal before actually recognizing our achievements. Situations like this make us want to exclaim, “What else do I need to do!”
The people of Jesus’ time kept saying that they needed a sign and then they would believe. People had heard about or saw the miracles, but this never seemed to be enough. In actuality, they already had the greatest sign right in front of them—God’s own son, Jesus.
It reminds me of the saying, “You can’t say to the furnace, give me more heat and I will give you more wood.” We can’t say to God, “Give us more signs, and we will give you our trust and belief.” Trust and belief in God must not depend upon signs—otherwise it would be proof, not trust and belief.
When giving a speech, one suggestion is to tell the people what you are going to tell them, then tell them, and finish by telling them what you told them. This is what God has given us: God told us in Scripture that we would receive a savior, then Jesus came, and then God told us again what had happened through the Gospels.
While the sign of Jonah that converted the Ninevites and the knowledge of Solomon that attracted the Queen of the South may be distant to us today, we have right in front of us all we need to repent like they did: the gift of God’s own son, Jesus.
Prayer
Father of mercy and forgiveness, you are patient with our obstinate hearts. Stir us to be receptive to your Word, Jesus Christ, just as the Queen of Sheba sought the wisdom of Solomon and the Ninevites responded to the prophetic words of Jonah. May we hear your Word and keep it. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Adrian is a martyr from Scotland who was killed by marauding Vikings during the Dark Ages.
The historical record is not clear as to Adrian’s origins. Some say he was an Irish monk and bishop who established the Church at St. Andrews. Other accounts state that he was a Hungarian monk with royal lineage who set out to evangelize Scotland.
In either case, Adrian and some companions established a number of monasteries and hermitages on the Isle of May, which is five miles out to sea from the mainland. In 875, Vikings landed on the island and slaughtered everyone there. Adrian was killed with hundreds of other monks, and their bodies were thrown into a large, ancient burial pit.
Hundreds of years later, the island and former monastery became a pilgrimage site. The relics of a St. Adrian, martyr, rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, but it is unclear if these belong to this St. Adrian or another, whose feast day is tomorrow.
St. Adrian, you evangelized Scotland and gave your life for the faith, pray for us!