Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
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, 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. among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; Romans 1:5-7
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. 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. Luke 11:31-32
Piety
Lord, what we think we know about you and our faith is only a fragment of what you want us to know. What we pray is only a fragment of the relationship you want to have with us. What we do in your name is only a fraction of what we must do to live out your holy call. Help us to put aside childish distractions so that we can see you face to face and fully embrace your call to be holy. Amen.Study
Think about all we do to find out how tomorrow will be.We listen to the weather so much that people make money with radios that ONLY broadcast weather reports and an entire television network is devoted to nothing but weather conditions. We do it because we want to know how weather will affect what we wear, how bad weather will affect traffic, and how the changes will affect our aching joints.
We devour polls even though we say we hate them. We get robo-calls from parties and candidates and marketing firms trying find out how they can eek out another vote, ratings point, market share or product sale from willing or unwilling voters, citizens and consumers. Talk radio exists for sports so everyone can express their opinion about what team will beat what other team instead of waiting until they play the games on the field.
We buy lottery tickets and junkets to Atlantic City or Las Vegas or Mohegan Sun in order to gather in the riches that we think will buy us happiness tomorrow while we live on the edge today.
Was Jesus ever correct when he said that this generation "seeks a sign." But do we seek a sign of something greater or just of something selfish? Jesus points us back to Jonah the reluctant prophet who tried to run away and hide from the responsibilities that the Lord asked him to accomplish. But Jonah did not stay reluctant forever. He changed.
Paul also is beyond a reluctant disciple. He spent years persecuting the Jews until a bolt of lighting hit him between the eyes. Only then did he change and put himself at the service of something greater...in fact, as he opened his letter to the Romans, Paul established himself as a slave to something greater...to the apostolic call of Jesus. In both the cases of Paul and Jonah, they heard the word of God and finally observed it.
These are two of the great stories of change from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Jonah and Paul overcame their initial hesitation or outright rejection to carry the Lord's message and mission to people throughout the land. Yet, despite the tradition, the we are like the Jewish people and we remain reluctant to change. Despite the force of the signs performed by Jesus among the people -- signed which had converted many Jews and Gentiles alike -- we the audience today still asks for another sign. What more do we want? Exasperated, Jesus says that we won't be given another sign. Like Lazarus thirsting in Hell, we will not have another change. "No sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah." We know that is not the case. We are given another sign in the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Paul becomes the example of the Roman who accepted the sign even though he did not witness it firsthand. Paul changed the entire direction of his life when he accepted the sign that he was given. In the same way, Jesus wants the generation he addresses to accept the sign that he represents.
Action
How much time to I spend watching football, Meet the Press, or NCIS reruns? Group reunion or Monday night football? How much time do I worry about what is in my 401K account and the balance of my checking account? Despite what I read every day in the Bible, I still do not always pursue "something greater." I'm tired. My feet hurt. Too much stress elsewhere in life. How often are we all like Jonah? We know what Jesus asks of us yet we want to retreat back inside our comfort zone instead of venturing out in the journey according to our instructions?
Make a promise today to take another step on your "Jonah mission." Add an additional kindly act to your neighbor. Add another session of prayer. Add another 20 minutes of study. We all can choose something greater if we just continue to give up all the lesser pursuits that tie us down.
