Homily: Twenty-seventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time
Twenty-seventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Jonah 3:1-10) “Unlikely Happenings”
The Jonah story is something that any Jewish or Christian child is familiar with. It is a fanciful story that most people equate with one episode. Jonah spends three days in the belly of a great fish after he is thrown off a ship that is in danger of sinking. This seems like a highly unlikely event.
What man could survive being in the digestive track of a whale (fish) for three days? The event is usually equated with the three days that Jesus spent in the tomb. What man could be dead three days and come back to life again.
The story is full of other unlikely happenings. The chief one is that the city of Ninevah repents of its sins. Most Bible readers do not know that Ninevah was not a Jewish city. No, it was an Assyrian city. Assyria was where Iraq is situated today.
The Assyrians were noted for their brutality. When they conquered another country, they tried to wipe out the culture of that country. The Assyrians practiced a scorched earth policy. Some would call what they did genocide. The Assyrians were feared because of their cruelty and that is what they wanted.
We might think that modern people have moved beyond that. We believe in just wars. We have international laws that govern warfare. The innocents are not to be harmed. Yet, we know war is hell.
When we look at the Russians aggression against Ukraine. When we see what is unfolding in the Gaza Strip and Israel, we see many innocent people being killed. We win wars when we break the will of the enemy and render them helpless. At least that is the theory. Can anything change?
The story of Jonah is a story of hope because the Assyrians repented in sack cloth and ashes and the promised destruction was averted. We pray today that nations who are at war will renounce violence and seek the way of peace together. Jonah’s story is all about the impossible becoming possible.
1. Do I see any nations that have changed from being warlike to peacemakers? Who?
2. Does it bother me that the place of Jesus birth is one of the most violent places on earth? Why is that the case?
Dear Parishioners,
The synodal process continues to unfold in Rome. One of the unique things about the synod is that the participants are all sitting at round tables in the audience hall at the Vatican. The Pope happily sits with participants listening contributing. As one sister put it, we are seeing a new way of church unfolding.
The Pope is not handing over his authority, but he is acting more like a pastor than a king. He will have to make final decisions, but he will do that based on the discussions that are taking place. It is truly an historic moment for our church.
I never thought I would see this happen. It is heartening. Let’s continue to pray for all those involved in the synod.
May Our Lady pray for us,
Fr. Mark