Third Sunday in Ordinary Time            January 24, 2021

 Jonah 3: 1-5, 10; 1 Cor 7: 29-31, Mk 1L14-20

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Whenever we think of Jonah, we think of Jonah being swallowed whole by a whale. Actually, the bible does not speak of a whale but of a great fish. Jonah as you might remember was sent by God to preach repentance to the Assyrians. The Assyrians were an especially warlike, aggressive and merciless nation. Their Capital was Nineveh, a city that was located in the northern part of modern-day Iraq, 250 miles north of Bagdad on the Tigris River. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed by the Assyrians when Jonah was written.

So, you can imagine, the Jews had no love for the Assyrians. When God told Jonah to preach repentance to the Assyrians, (now Assyria was east of Israel), Jonah got into a boat and headed west. He didn’t like the job God give him and he was going to run away from God and the mission he was given. Well, the boat met with a terrible and violent storm and the sailors discerned the storm was caused by Jonah trying to get away from God. So, they threw Jonah overboard and Jonah was swallowed by the fish. Three days later he was deposited on the shore. This time Jonah decided he better do what God wanted. More amazing than the part about the fish is what we hear in today’s first reading. Jonah converted the entire city of Nineveh in one day, without miracles, spectacular signs or lengthy exhortations.

Fr. Joe Robinson states that to get an idea of how amazing this would be, think of some little known individual today showing up in Bagdad and in one day every person in Bagdad, from Saddam on down, reforms and converts to Christianity. Wouldn’t that be something!! Most scholars do not consider the book of Jonah as historical, but they treat it more as a parable, taught to teach spiritual truths.        Today’s section shows God holds out to all people, even to the enemies of the Jews, the chance to reform.

Jonah represented the Jewish resentment over this possibility. The passage prepares us for the Gospels and describe more realistically that calling people to change is not as easy as the story of Jonah makes it appear to be. Jesus begins to gather disciples who will help him in his work.

Peace and all good!

Fr. Valery Burusu

Parochial Administrator