Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time – Lectionary: 467

The Greater One Is Here

Begin with a quiet resolve of heart. Today the Church places before us a single, decisive sign and the song that follows it. In Romans 1:1–7, Saint Paul announces the long-promised Gospel “about [God’s] Son,” rooted in Israel’s story and revealed in power through the Resurrection, in order to bring all nations into what he calls the obedience of faith (CCC 144–149, CCC 994). Psalm 98 answers that proclamation with a worldwide chorus, “Sing a new song to the Lord” and “All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.” In Luke 11:29–32, Jesus confronts a crowd that craves proofs and wonders and declares that “no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah”. The Ninevites repented at Jonah’s preaching. The Queen of the South crossed continents for Solomon’s wisdom. Yet now “something greater” is present, and the only fitting response is repentance that blossoms into obedient faith.

These readings share a sweeping horizon. Historically, Paul writes to the Roman Christians of a diverse imperial city, insisting that the Messiah of Israel is Savior for the Gentiles as well. The psalm’s temple hymn becomes a missionary anthem, envisioning every land rejoicing at God’s revealed victory. In the Gospel, Jesus invokes the memory of Jonah and the Queen of Sheba to unmask a sign-seeking culture and to point to his Paschal Mystery as the definitive revelation. The Jewish expectation of prophetic signs meets its fulfillment in Christ’s death and rising, which is the Father’s public vindication of the Son and the ground of the Church’s mission (CCC 737–738, CCC 851). The thread is unbroken. Promise becomes proclamation. Proclamation becomes praise. Praise becomes conversion and costly trust.

What would it look like for you to move today from asking for another sign to living the obedience of faith that sings a new song to the Lord?

First Reading – Romans 1:1–7

A Gospel Set Apart

Paul opens his letter to the Christians in Rome with a solemn greeting that reads like a mission charter. Written around the mid first century to a mixed community of Jewish and Gentile believers at the heart of the empire, this introduction situates the Gospel within Israel’s Scriptures and announces its worldwide scope. Paul presents himself in covenant language as a servant of the Messiah, the royal Son of David who is publicly revealed as Son of God in power through the Resurrection. In this greeting the promises to Israel, the identity of Jesus, and the mission to the nations converge. The aim is the obedience of faith among all peoples, which is precisely the movement from sign seeking to trustful surrender that today’s readings call forth. The royal lineage, the Resurrection, and the apostolic task form a single arc of salvation that invites the Church to sing a new song and to walk in concrete, joyful fidelity.

Romans 1:1-7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Greeting. ¹ Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, ³ the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, ⁴ but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, ⁶ among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; ⁷ to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Detailed Exegesis

Verse 1 – “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.”
Paul identifies himself first as a servant who belongs to Jesus, which evokes Israel’s prophets who were set apart by God for a holy purpose. His apostleship is not self appointed. It is a divine calling that consecrates him for the Gospel. This framing underscores that the Christian life begins in grace and mission. The Gospel is God’s own good news, not a human invention, and it lays claim to the whole person.

Verse 2 – “Which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures,”
The Gospel is promised beforehand. Paul anchors the Christian proclamation in the story of Israel. The covenant faithfulness of God stretches from the Law and the Prophets into the present fulfillment. This safeguards the unity of the two Testaments and shows that the Church does not replace Israel but receives the promises as they reach their goal in Christ.

Verse 3 – “The gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,”
The good news is a person. Jesus is truly human and truly a royal heir in the line of David. This affirms the Incarnation’s concreteness. God’s salvation enters history and bloodline. The messianic expectations of Israel converge on Jesus who is son of David by human lineage, which fulfills God’s promise of a king for his people.

Verse 4 – “But established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The Resurrection is the public enthronement of Jesus as Son in power. What he is by nature from all eternity is manifested in history through the Spirit. The title “Lord” confesses his divine sovereignty. Here Paul moves from messianic descent to divine Sonship revealed. The Easter event is not an addendum. It is the decisive sign by which the Father vindicates the Son and inaugurates the new creation.

Verse 5 – “Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,”
Apostolic ministry is a gift of grace from the risen Lord. Its purpose is to elicit the obedience of faith. Faith is not mere opinion. It is the surrender of mind and will to God who speaks, and it issues in a life of discipleship. The scope is universal. The nations are summoned into the covenant by the name of Jesus, which is the revelation of his person and saving power.

Verse 6 – “Among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;”
Paul includes the Roman Christians within this worldwide call. Believers do not possess Jesus. They belong to him. Christian identity is relational and ecclesial. The Church exists because God has called a people for himself in Christ. This belonging bestows dignity and demands fidelity.

Verse 7 – “To all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Church is loved by God and called to holiness. Grace and peace are not mere greetings. They are gifts that flow from the Father through the Lord Jesus. Holiness is the normal Christian vocation, not a specialty for a few. This closing of the greeting gathers up the entire introduction. From promise to fulfillment, from calling to mission, everything is grace ordered toward sanctity.

Teachings

The Church names this response “the obedience of faith.” “By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God. With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer.” CCC 143–144. The unity of promise and fulfillment is confessed in the Church’s proclamation. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” CCC 422. The Resurrection discloses who Jesus is and confirms his teaching. “The Resurrection above all constitutes the confirmation of all Christ’s works and teachings. All truths, even those most inaccessible to human reason, find their justification if Christ by his Resurrection has given the definitive proof of his divine authority.” CCC 651. The messianic descent from David and the divine Sonship meet in the Lord Jesus whom we confess. “To believe that Jesus is the Son of God is necessary for salvation.” CCC 454. The missionary horizon of Paul’s greeting is the Church’s permanent task. “The Lord’s missionary mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity. The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love.” CCC 850.

The saints echo this mystery. Saint Irenaeus writes, “The Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, through his boundless love became what we are, that he might bring us to be even what he is himself.” Against Heresies, V, Preface. Saint Thomas Aquinas clarifies the interior act of believing. “Faith is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth at the command of the will moved by God through grace.” Summa Theologiae II II, q.2, a.9. These voices illuminate Paul’s claim. The Gospel is God’s saving action in Christ. The right response is obedient faith that yields a holy life and a missionary heart.

Reflection

Paul’s greeting is not a formality. It is a summons. You have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. Begin today by acknowledging that you are loved by God and called to be holy. Receive grace and peace as gifts for your vocation. Let the obedience of faith shape your choices at work, at home, and in hidden moments. Offer your mind to the Lord through daily meditation on Scripture. Offer your will through concrete acts of charity and forgiveness. Offer your witness by naming Jesus with humble courage when opportunities arise. The Gospel has reached you so that it may reach others through you. What would change today if you lived as one who truly belongs to Jesus Christ? Where is the Lord inviting you to move from curiosity about signs to the concrete obedience of faith? How will you let grace and peace flow from prayer into action so that your life becomes a living doxology to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ?

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 98:1–4

Sing the Sign: Praise for a Public Victory

Psalm 98 is an enthronement hymn from Israel’s worship that celebrates the Lord as King who saves with a mighty and merciful arm. Sung in the temple and in synagogues, it draws on Exodus imagery where God’s “right hand” accomplishes deliverance, and it widens that salvation to “all the earth.” In today’s liturgy this psalm answers Romans 1:1–7 and Luke 11:29–32 by turning from a demand for new signs to a new song of faith. The Resurrection of Jesus is the definitive victory God has made known among the nations. The fitting response is joy filled praise that becomes the obedience of faith and a missionary witness.

Psalm 98:1-4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

The Coming of God
¹ A psalm.

Sing a new song to the Lord,
    for he has done marvelous deeds.
His right hand and holy arm
    have won the victory.
² The Lord has made his victory known;
    has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations,
³ He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness
    toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the victory of our God.

⁴ Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth;
    break into song; sing praise.

Detailed Exegesis

Verse 1 – “Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done marvelous deeds. His right hand and holy arm have won the victory.”
The “new song” signals a fresh act of God that surpasses former wonders. “Right hand and holy arm” recall the Exodus, presenting salvation as God’s personal and holy action. In Christ’s Paschal Mystery, the Church recognizes the greatest of God’s “marvelous deeds,” which calls forth a renewed life of worship and witness. The verse roots praise not in our mood but in God’s accomplished work.

Verse 2 – “The Lord has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations,”
God’s saving action is not hidden. It is public revelation. The universal scope anticipates the Gospel’s outreach to the Gentiles in Romans 1. The Resurrection renders God’s justice and mercy visible, summoning every people to recognize the true King. Faith is not private sentiment but assent to a victory displayed before the world.

Verse 3 – “He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.”
“Remembered” in biblical language means God acts now in covenant fidelity. Israel’s story becomes the seed of a worldwide harvest. What God promised to the patriarchs blossoms in Christ so that every nation can see and rejoice. Mercy and truth embrace in a way that binds past promise to present fulfillment and opens a future of hope.

Verse 4 – “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth; break into song; sing praise.”
The psalm moves from proclamation to participation. Creation itself is summoned into liturgy. Joy is commanded because God’s reign is good and his salvation is real. The imperative to “sing” teaches that praise is an act of will in response to revelation. The voice of the Church must be heard, not as noise seeking signs, but as grateful praise to the One greater than Jonah and Solomon.

Teachings

The Church describes praise with clarity: “Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God.” CCC 2639. This psalm is a school for such praise. The Catechism also situates the Psalter at the heart of biblical prayer: “The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament.” CCC 2586. In the light of Christ, the “new song” is the worship of the new covenant People who have seen the Lord’s victory in the Resurrection and now carry that joy to the nations. Saint Augustine captures the inner logic of praise and love in a single line: “Cantare amantis est.” St. Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos. To sing is what lovers do. He comments further on the “new song” motif, linking it to new life: “Novus homo, novum canticum.” St. Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos. The renewed heart sings because God has made all things new in Christ. Thus the psalm’s universal summons harmonizes with the Church’s mission, which flows from worship and returns to worship as nations enter the joy of God’s reign.

Reflection

Let this psalm train your heart to answer God’s revealed victory with a new song today. Begin prayer by naming one “marvelous deed” of the Lord in Scripture and one in your own life, and then offer a simple hymn of thanks. Choose a concrete act of praise by singing or reciting a psalm at the start or end of your day. When discouragement tempts you to seek more signs, remember that the Father has already made his triumph known in Jesus. Speak a word of hope that points others to the Lord’s public victory. Where is God inviting you to move from silence to song because he has already acted for you? How can you let praise shape a choice you must make today so that your life becomes a new song? What step can you take to ensure that “all the earth” around you hears the joyful witness of your faith?

Holy Gospel – Luke 11:29–32

Greater Than Jonah

In Luke 11:29–32, Jesus addresses a swelling crowd fascinated by wonders yet resistant to conversion. In first century Judaism, many expected prophetic signs to validate a teacher. Jesus situates their demand within Israel’s sacred history by invoking Jonah and the Queen of the South from 1 Kings 10, figures known to his hearers as models of responsiveness to God’s wisdom and word. Nineveh, the formidable Assyrian capital, repented at a reluctant prophet’s brief preaching. The Queen of Sheba traveled far to seek Solomon’s wisdom. Jesus declares that something greater is present now. In the light of today’s theme, the Lord redirects us from restless sign seeking to the obedience of faith. The definitive sign is his Paschal Mystery, which unveils God’s victory and summons every heart to repent, believe, and rejoice.

Luke 11:29-32
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

²⁹ While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. ³² At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

Detailed Exegesis

Verse 29 – “While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.’”
The growing crowd does not impress Jesus because curiosity without conversion is spiritually dangerous. He names the malady with prophetic clarity. The “sign of Jonah” in Luke emphasizes Jonah himself as God’s sign and his preaching that sparked repentance in Nineveh. Jesus implies that his own person and proclamation are the decisive sign. The heart of faith is trustful surrender to the Revealer rather than a demand for spectacular proof.

Verse 30 – “Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.”
Jonah’s presence and message were God’s instrument for a pagan city’s conversion. Jesus, the Son of Man, is the embodied sign of the Kingdom. In him the wisdom and mercy of God stand before the generation. Refusal of the Son is therefore refusal of God’s own sign. The comparison heightens responsibility. If Nineveh responded to a reluctant prophet, how much more should Israel respond to the incarnate Word.

Verse 31 – “At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
The Queen of Sheba represents the Gentile seeker who goes to great lengths for divine wisdom. Her zeal will become a standard of judgment. Jesus is “greater than Solomon” because he is Wisdom incarnate. The eschatological scene underscores that present choices have eternal weight. To ignore the One who surpasses Solomon is to indict oneself before the tribunal of God.

Verse 32 – “At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Nineveh’s repentance, achieved through minimal preaching, exposes the hardness of those who resist Jesus. The double refrain “something greater” reveals Jesus’ identity and mission. He is the definitive prophet whose word does not merely warn of doom but inaugurates salvation. The implication is clear. The proper response now is repentance that becomes obedient faith, which aligns with Paul’s proclamation and the psalm’s new song of praise.

Teachings

Jesus’ stance toward signs is clarified by the Church. “The signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent him. They invite belief in him. To those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they ask. So miracles strengthen faith in the One who does his Father’s works; they bear witness that he is the Son of God. But his miracles can also be occasions for ‘offense’; they are not intended to satisfy people’s curiosity or desire for magic.” CCC 548. Faith itself rests on God who reveals, aided by real motives of credibility without collapsing into mere sign chasing. “Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. To be sure, revealed truths can seem obscure to human reason and experience, but ‘the certainty that the divine light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reason gives.’” CCC 157. The grace filled response Jesus seeks is conversion of heart. “Jesus’ call to conversion and penance does not aim first at outward works, ‘sackcloth and ashes,’ fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion.” CCC 1430. The Lord also situates our choices within final accountability. “The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory.” CCC 1040. Finally, the ultimate sign that validates Jesus’ identity is his Resurrection, which answers the sign seeking impulse with God’s definitive act. “The Resurrection above all constitutes the confirmation of all Christ’s works and teachings. All truths, even those most inaccessible to human reason, find their justification if Christ by his Resurrection has given the definitive proof of his divine authority.” CCC 651.

Reflection

Jesus does not scold to shame you. He speaks to free you from a restless posture that always demands one more proof before trusting him. Decide today to receive Jesus himself as the sign and to respond with repentance and obedience of faith. Practice a concrete turn. Make a brief examen at midday. Name where you have postponed conversion. Ask for the grace to act. Choose one area to obey the Lord’s teaching without waiting for a feeling or a sign. Offer praise as your confession of trust, echoing the psalm’s new song. Speak one simple testimony of how God has already acted in your life. Where are you asking for another sign when the Lord has already given you his Word and his Resurrection? What step of repentance can you take today that aligns your life with Wisdom greater than Solomon? How will you let your obedience of faith become a living sign that invites others to the mercy of Christ?

A New Song of Obedient Faith

Grace has a sound. Today Romans 1:1–7 opens with the call to the obedience of faith, Psalm 98 teaches the melody of praise, and Luke 11:29–32 confronts sign seeking by pointing to the definitive sign of the Paschal Mystery. Paul proclaims the Gospel promised in the Scriptures and revealed in power through the Resurrection. The psalm answers with joy because “all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.” Jesus then names the heart’s temptation to delay conversion until one more wonder appears, and he declares that “no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” The thread is clear. Promise becomes proclamation, proclamation becomes praise, and praise becomes repentance that lives as trusting obedience.

Let this convergence become your prayer and your plan. Receive anew your identity as one who belongs to Jesus Christ. Choose to sing a new song that is stronger than discouragement and louder than doubt. Practice a concrete turn to the Lord by confessing a pattern of delay, forgiving an old hurt, or obeying a hard teaching with humble love. Offer simple witness to someone near you about what God has already done. Return to prayer with gratitude and ask for grace and peace to fill your day. Where is the Lord inviting you to stop waiting for another sign and to step forward in obedient faith today? How will you let praise reshape your choices so that your life becomes a living hymn to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ?

Engage with Us!

We would love to hear your insights and prayerful takeaways in the comments below. Share what moved you in today’s Word and how the Lord is inviting you to respond.

1. First Reading, Romans 1:1–7: Where do you sense God calling you into the obedience of faith in a concrete way today? How does belonging to Jesus Christ reshape your identity at work, at home, and in hidden places? What step can you take to live your vocation to holiness with greater trust in grace and peace?
2. Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 98:1–4: What “marvelous deed” of the Lord can you name and praise today with a new song? How can your praise move from private gratitude to public witness so that all the earth around you hears God’s victory? When discouragement rises, how will you choose praise as an act of faith rather than wait for another sign?
3. Holy Gospel, Luke 11:29–32: Where have you been waiting for more proof when Jesus has already given you his Word and his Resurrection? What concrete act of repentance is the Lord inviting you to make today to welcome the One greater than Jonah and Solomon? How will your daily obedience become a living sign that draws others to God’s mercy?

May the Holy Spirit strengthen you to live a life of faith, hope, and charity today, and to do everything with the love and mercy that Jesus taught us.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, we trust in You!

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle! 

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