Sign of Jonah: the Nineveh Factor

Listening to the right voice

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 - FIRST WEEK WEDNESDAY

February 25 – Jonah 3: 1-10; Luke 11: 29-32

Listening to the right voice, the thematic of the week, has taken us on a path to reflect upon the inevitability of listening to the voice of God, if we wish to be truly people of God and on the signs of having listened to that Voice. Today the Word presents to us yet another aspect: the condition of listening to that Voice. In other words, when are we ready to listen to the Voice of God?

Let us have a close look at the experience underlying which connects the first and the Gospel readings today – the episode of Jonah at Nineveh. The first reading narrates to us the experience, and in the Gospel reading Jesus refers to that incident to offer us a poignant lesson: the Nineveh factor!

Nineveh which was so bad, that it was picked to be destroyed; but the whole scenario over turns and Nineveh becomes a model to be cited, and a benchmark to be referred to. We see in the Gospel today that Jesus makes Nineveh even a judge who would condemn the incredulous generations. This is what we could call the Nineveh factor offered to us to consider in this season of Lent.

The Sign of Jonah that Jesus speaks of is the coming of the Son of Man, who is chosen and put through the ordeals of obedience, and sent to the people – to proclaim, to announce and to preach the Word! The Word is sent… that is the sign that the salvation has come into this world, that the salvation has come to our doorstep… but the responsibility is ours to accept it or not, receive it or not, submit ourselves to it or not.

What is the condition, in which we would be ready to accept it, receive it or submit ourselves to it: that is the Nineveh factor - the broken, humbled heart that God will never spurn. That is key to understand the aforementioned transformation of the status of Nineveh – from the condemned to the role model!

The first element of this factor is the sincere self-recognition, that comes out of a spiritual awareness and openness. To recognise the limits within oneself and its roots, is a great big first step…and many, or even most, of us arrive at this step. It is the second step that creates problems: the acceptance and acknowledgement of the condition of limit. The moment we realise our weakness or limit, we have the natural tendency to deny it, hide it or justify it. That makes sure that we do not really hear or listen to what the Voice or the Word wants from us.

The third element is the crucial element of humbling ourselves with a broken heart and seeking healing from the Lord. The Voice invites us to that at lent. What is there that we can hide from God and from God’s Spirit? The call is that we go to the Lord with a humbled, contrite, broken heart and the Lord in the abundance of love and forgiveness shall make us whole again!