Wednesday of the First Week of Lent
March 16, 2011
By Colleen O’Sullivan
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.” So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord’s bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,” when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth… When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out. (Jonah 3:1-5, 10)
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus 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. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” (Luke 11:29-30)
Piety
A clean heart create for me, O God,
And a steadfast spirit renew within me.
(Psalm 51:12)
Study
We’re now one week into our observance of Lent. As the prophet Joel reminded us at the start of this season, Lent is about returning to the Lord with all our heart. Today’s Scripture readings continue that theme of the necessity for repentance. God sends Jonah to the Assyrian city of Nineveh to warn its inhabitants that they have only 40 days in which to turn to the Lord before their city will be destroyed. Now, Jonah is like you and me; he sometimes has his own agenda. Instead of heading toward Nineveh, he starts off in the opposite direction. As you probably know from experience, when God wants us to do something, he can be relentless in his pursuit. Jonah has to almost drown in a storm at sea and then spend three days in the belly of a great fish before he ultimately decides to comply with God’s request. To his utter amazement, the Ninevites respond to his warning! They put their evil ways behind them and, complete with fasting, sackcloth and ashes, turn to God. One would think that Jonah would rejoice, but Jonah is too petty and narrow-minded for that. He’s actually furious that God treats these non-Israelites with mercy and compassion. I’m sure that all of us need to be reminded from time to time that God’s love and mercy are for all, not just those we deem acceptable.
Fast forward about 500 years to Jesus’ day. Jesus is quite the sensation. Word of his miracles and signs has spread and the crowds following him only grow larger. Jesus says they are an evil generation and he isn’t about to “perform” for them. They have already had signs aplenty. He talks about Jonah as a sign to the Ninevites of the urgent need to repent. He says he himself is a sign that we should turn from sin to God. Human nature doesn’t change much over time. Just as with Jonah, Jesus’ contemporaries have trouble with the fact that he brings the Good News to sinners, tax collectors, the outcast, and even non-Jews, all people they would be loathe to associate with. When we die and stand before God’s judgment, we may be surprised at who the righteous are; they may not be those you and I find suitable. We don’t have a monopoly on God’s love and forgiveness. Those are gifts God extends to everyone ready to receive them.
Action
As we journey through these 40 days of Lent, maybe we need to examine our own hearts in the light of today’s readings. Is God asking us to do something that we’re resisting? Are we running away from God rather than toward him? Are we small-minded like Jonah, believing we Catholics or Christians are the only righteous people? Do we live as though we truly believe that God’s mercy and compassion are extended to all, even people different from us? Is there anything in our lives that is keeping us from the close relationship we desire with the Lord?
Lent is the perfect time to prayerfully consider these questions and, where necessary, to return to the Lord with all our heart.
Please don’t forget the needs of our brothers and sisters in Japan. They need our prayers and they need our gifts. The Daily Tripods for Saturday, March 12, and Monday, March 14, include links to organizations that are involved in relief efforts. If you want to go back and look at them, click on http://www.yourdailytripod.blogspot.com/.
