In today's first reading, God gives Jonah a second chance to preach to the Ninevites. Despite Jonah doing so grumpily, and just after one day of his preaching, the people of Nineveh believed in God and repented. Their sincere repentance was manifested by their fasting and putting on sackcloth. Everyone, from the greatest to the least, the king down to the animals, fasted and put on sackcloth. All of them renounced their evil behaviour and the wicked things they had done. Meanwhile Jonah, a Jew, was watching over the city from the neighbouring hilltop, hoping for its destruction, as he cared more about himself being proven right rather than for the salvation of the Gentiles.

We see that the Gentiles were more responsive to the Word of God rather than Jonah the Jew. In today's Gospel reading, Jesus also offers the sign of the prophet Jonah - whereby the wicked Gentile city of Nineveh immediately repents and does penance and thus is saved from destruction. What about us? Is our heart well-disposed towards repentance, or is it more preoccupied with its own egoistic plans? Let us pray for repentance, for "a humble contrite heart, O God, You will not spurn."