Wednesday of
the First Week of Lent
Jonah 3:1-10
(I love this brooding Jonah...one hand holding up his chin and the other in the 'pissed off' position on his knee)
It
is rare that I remember the content of specific homilies. Not because I haven’t heard many good ones,
but because their effect on me is more subtle.
But I will never forget a
homily I heard on Jonah…I believe the parish was Christ the King, in Nashville,
Tennessee.
I
can still see the pastor walking up and down the aisle…whispering. “Forty days more
and Ninevah shall be destroyed,” he whispered taking on the character of
Jonah. Because, you see, Jonah was thrilled with God’s original scorched
earth plan.
From
the point of view of Jonah and the population of the northern kingdom of
Israel, the Ninevites were ISIS and Al-Qaida put together…and then some.
If
Jonah is giving his preaching---all 8 words of it---every ounce of energy he
has for concern for the Ninevites and commitment to his call…well then I want
to liken myself to Jonah! But, this
particular homily asked me to look inside my own heart and wonder.
How
do I pray for my enemies?
Is
it more like a quiet mumbling while I head in the opposite direction…in Jonah’s
case, Tarshish?
Do
I pray like Jonah…in the hopes that it doesn’t get answered?
How
do I tame my brooding and resentment...my longing for comeuppance?
Tough
stuff…this caring about enemies business.
And
Jonah never does ‘get happy’ about Ninevah NOT getting its due.
Jonah
as a negative example worked on me in that homily…
And
it is still working!
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