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Reflect on Jesus’s message of repentance through the examples of Jonah and Solomon, reminding us to live and share the Good News with humility and sincerity.

Today's Gospel: Luke 11:29-32

What do Jonah and Solomon have in common here? They preached to non-Jews. Jonah preached to the Ninevites (Assyrians who were not Jewish), and the Queen of the South (from Sheba, likely an Arabian) came to listen to Solomon. Jesus is foretelling how He will be sign to all nations—not just the Jews.

The Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah, and the Queen found Solomon to be the wisest, but the Jews in Jesus’s time are looking for ways to put Him to death. Jesus is performing signs and wonders, healing people and casting out demons, and it is not leading to conversion among many Jews. Yet, other religions and peoples are starting to take notice.

This is not a condemnation on all Jews (for many did convert), but a wake-up call that even as Catholics, we can get comfortable with our traditions instead of being uncomfortable in our need for repentance and humility. You can say all the prayers and recite all the Rosaries you want, but if they do not lead to repentance, you cannot be saved.

What is repentance? It is a recognition that we must be saved. It is sorrow for our sins and desiring to atone for them. It is an interior conversion of heart that allows God to come to us. The ultimate culmination is in the Sacrament of Confession—the forgiveness we receive and the penance that follows.

The fact that we need a Savior, have been rescued by Jesus, and have been given the chance to live eternally with God is the basis of the Gospel. This Good News is for everyone, because we are all created to be in relationship with God, and Jesus desires that all should be saved. Are we living and sharing this Good News?

 

Ponder:

Do I live a repentant life, or am I stuck in my comfortable ways?

 

Pray:

Jesus, You are Wisdom, You are good, You are life itself. Draw me, through repentance, deeper into Your heart. 

 

Pray Together:

Learn the Jesus Prayer (CCC 2667) as a family and pray it throughout the day: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

 


October 12

Copyright 2026 Allison Auth

 

About the Author

Allison Auth

Allison Auth

Allison Auth is a writer and speaker who lives in Denver with her husband and five children. She is the author of Ineffable: Learning to Love the God Beyond Words as well as Baby and Beyond: Overcoming Those Post-Childbirth Woes, both through Sophia Institute Press. She writes regularly for Denver Catholic, Catholicmom.com, and on her Substack. Find out more at AllisonAuth.com.