Fr Paul Gooley reads today’s Gospel from Luke (11: 29-32) in which Jesus says, ‘This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah’. Fr Paul says the theme of today’s Gospel is that Jesus will be a sign just like Jonah. At times, we know that the Pharisees ask for a sign from heaven to test Jesus and he refuses. They do this because, at the time of Jesus, a number of charismatic Galilean rabbis who did work such signs existed. One example was the Rabbi Honi who was known as the Rainmaker. This Rabbi he was known for his warm relationship with God and for the answers to his prayers and so it was people asked him to pray for rain and the prayers were answered. In the present passage however, using his mysterious preferred title ‘Son of Man’ he offers the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah’s mission to Nineveh was the stock case of conversion: the wicked gentile city immediately converts and does penance, and so Jesus is saying that the Ninevites are the example for Israel and the Pharisees to do the same. Then there is the mention of Solomon who was the figure of Wisdom, and the gentile Queen of the South who came from the ends of the earth because she recognised this God-given Wisdom of Solomon. Now something greater than either Jonah or Solomon is present, and the Pharisees and Israel refuse to listen and convert. Fr Paul invites us to reflect on today’s Gospel Lesson – Lent is a time to listen and repent.