will we repent?
“Just as Jonah was a sign for the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be a sign for the present age.” —Luke 11:30
Jesus said that “Jonah was a sign for the Ninevites” (Lk 11:30). In modern times, we know the sign of Jonah as three days spent in the bowels of the huge fish, followed by a new start in life. However, the Ninevites didn’t know this. They heard only this: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed” (Jon 3:4). Yet that blunt, prophetic word was sufficient to induce the Ninevites to radically repent. Jonah didn’t even preach mercy or the possibility of repentance. Nonetheless, the king of Nineveh foresaw the possibility of God relenting in punishment (Jon 3:6-9), and so he wholeheartedly repented and urged his people to do the same.
Jesus came preaching repentance and the mercy of God, yet that wasn’t enough for those who heard Him. They wanted more than that; they wanted signs (Lk 11:29; Mt 12:38). In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus performed seven miraculous signs (Jn 2:1-12; 4:46-54; 5:1ff; 6:1-14; 6:19; 9:1ff; 11:1ff). Incredibly, that wasn’t enough to convince people to repent.
For three days, a vengeful, merciless Jonah preached destruction, and a vicious, brutal people repented (Jon 3:3ff). For three years, Jesus preached the mercy of God inviting all who heard Him to repentance, and many refused to repent. What about us? We are no different than those who heard Jesus. Will we repent?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You gave Your life so I would repent. May I never treat Your “gracious gift as pointless” (Gal 2:21).
Promise: “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, You will not spurn.” —Ps 51:19
Praise: Tim and Carolyn spend an hour each week in Eucharistic adoration, thanking Jesus for all His blessings upon their marriage.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
(For a related teaching on The Secret of Confession, view, download or order our leaflet on our website.)
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from February 1, 2026, through March 31, 2026. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio August 27, 2025"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.