Scripture Reading
Matthew 12:39-40
But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Reflection
Jesus points beyond all spectacular proofs to the one sign that matters: death and resurrection. Jonah emerged from the darkness of the deep as a foreshadowing of Christ emerging from the tomb. Lent is our own journey into that darkness — the willingness to descend with Christ before we rise with him. We do not need to demand other signs; the cross and the empty tomb are enough.
Prayer for Today
O God, who brought us to birth, and in whose arms we die, in our grief and shock, contain and comfort us; embrace us with your love, give us hope in our confusion and grace to let go into new life; through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Amen.