JON 3:1-10
PS 51: 3-4, 12-13, 18-19
JL 2:12-13
LK 11:29-32
In
the “enormously large city” of Nineveh, Jonah’s message took root. The King of
Nineveh covered himself in sackcloth at the hearing of Jonah’s news. What must
it have been like for the King of such a large city, which took “three days to go
through,” to instantly give up his throne and “sit in the ashes”? Must the King
of Nineveh not have been a person of prayer? How radical must it have been for
a king to take a simple messenger so seriously?
Who
might be acting as a simple messenger to you during this season of lent? Are
you disposed to take that message seriously? Might it be coming from another
office or department? Might it be from a classmate or from somebody who lives
down the hall? Could it be from a family member or other loved one?
Who
might be inviting you to follow Christ more closely? What is it that you might
be invited to “rise from”? What would be helpful to have “laid aside” in your
life this lent? Perhaps you may not be called to cover yourself with sackcloth
or sit in the ashes, but are you taking the time to cover yourself with the
love of Christ and sit with Him? Are you taking the time to prepare for God’s
forgiveness? Do you believe that a “heart contrite and humbled” He will not
spurn? How might Christ be speaking to you through the Jonah of your life? Are
you prepared to receive such a message?
Patrick Hyland, SJ is a Jesuit Scholastic from Cleveland, Ohio studying U.S. History at SLU. You can find Patrick every Friday morning at the clock tower for Java with the Jesuits.
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