Greetings on this the Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: Jonah 1:1–2:1-2, 11; Jonah 2:3, 4, 5, 8; Luke 10:25-37
Summary
We are being treated to the wonderful story of Jonah over the next three days. Each part matched to a gospel portion that helps bring light to the story and to bring light to the divine imperative for us.
Below Jonah and the Gospel portions matched with the story.
Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday 27th Week Ordinary Time
- Jonah – Good Samaritan – Attempt to avoid his calling v Obeying out of a basic deep respect for human dignity and suffering.
- Jonah – Martha and Mary – Discipline v Listening and Service, with listening has primacy.
- Jonah – The Lord’s Prayer – Logic of Man v Logic of God.
The story begins and ends with Man in Conflict with the will of God.
Monday – But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD. He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish, away from the LORD (Jon 1:3).
Wednesday – But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry over the gourd plant?” Jonah answered, “I have a right to be angry—angry enough to die.” Then the LORD said, “You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons (Jon 4:9-11a).
Isn’t this statement crazy or is it? Right to be angry—angry enough to die. Jonah is unchanged by the divine action beginning and end. Jonah is unmoved the the argument the Lord proposes on the value of human life.
From the mind of men, always in conflict with one another, (there should be no doubt about the brutality inflicted on the people), we extend this frame-of-reference to the Divine. This is how I think, this is how I overrule the thinking of God.
The gospel message proposes another way. Pairing it with these specific gospel portions we can see the beauty of the Samaritan’s actions. He may or may not have been a religious man but he exemplified the behavior that understands the dignity of people. Martha had some idea how to act, but missed the nuance of listening as the primacy of faith. And finally, prayer, prayer that we make (from Give me..) to the prayer Jesus wishes us to be foundational: Our Father. ‘Our’, one human family.
Reflection
When the benevolence of God toward others drives us into deep anger and disobedience where is the problem? Should I not be concerned over Nineveh? Take the lesson from the second (chiastic center) encounter in this series: Mary chose to listen to Jesus.
Personal Reflection
More of my Guatemala friends have been swept up by ICE. Good people, a credit to our community. Why? Because they are presented to us as people of Nineveh. We are in the full on disobedience and non-divine centric logic of Man-against-Man. Heartbreaking. This policy and those who support it are the unrepentant Jonah of this time.
- Where are the Good Samaritans?
- Where are those who Listen?
- Where are those who pray with the divine heart?
Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100625.cfm
Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry