This is a good lesson today ... everyone please take the time to read the readings and the meditation. Then ... as my priest said at Mass yesterday ... "shut up and listen to God."
| Wednesday, October 10, 2001 | ||
|
----------------------
From wau.org...
Jonah fled from God's call to preach in the pagan city of Nineveh. God pursued the reluctant prophet, however, until he finally--though still somewhat reluctantly--obeyed (Jonah 1–2). Once the Ninevites heard Jonah's warning that their sins had kindled God's wrath, they immediately repented and turned to God. In response, God withheld the punishment they deserved (3:1-10). All was well that ended well ... except for Jonah.
Jonah sulked because God-- "slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love" (Jonah 4:2)-- showed mercy to a people whom Jonah considered more sinful than faithful Jews like himself. Jonah had personally experienced God's mercy (1:17-2:10), but he wanted to withhold that mercy from others. And so, in another act of mercy, God probed Jonah's heart: "Should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left?" (4:11).
Like the symbolic actions of the prophets and the parables of Jesus, the story of Jonah illustrates an important spiritual truth. Full of humor and irony, this fable--perhaps woven around a historical figure--teaches us that God's mercy knows no bounds. His love is so wide that he can forgive the pagan Ninevites and at the same time forgive their accuser, Jonah, and offer to free him from his petty anger!
God's mercy and compassion extend to everyone: righteous or sinful, Jew or Gentile, believer or unbeliever. Instead of judging us with strict justice and giving us the punishment we all deserve, our Father judges us with mercy and removes our punishment. So great is his love that "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
May we never place ourselves above God and presume, as Jonah did, to tell him how he should act. If he chooses to bless people who don't believe in him, or people of a different denomination than ours, may we be just as open-hearted as he is and praise him for his mercy. God loves everyone, and he wants to bring everyone closer to Jesus.
"Holy Spirit, fill my heart with the same compassion and mercy my Father has for me. No one is excluded from his love, so teach me to love everyone and to want nothing but the best for them: your presence.
------------------
Have a great day, everyone!