Homily for October 9, 2019

Our first reading this morning illustrates the balance between principles and their practical application, just as yesterday’s Gospel connected the seemingly conflicting examples of contemplation (as we saw on the part of Mary) and activism (as we saw on the part of her sister, Martha).

There is a stark contradiction in Jonah’s attitude: This prophet, who claimed to “worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land," (Jonah 1:9) seeks to flee from God by taking a long voyage on the sea.

The irony in today’s passage is quite sad: Jonah knows that God is filled with mercy and grace, that He is slow to anger and rich in kindness. Yet, this made him unwilling to preach repentance in the name of such a God, who would show mercy to Jonah’s people’s enemies: the people of Nineveh.

The incensed prophet cannot bear the idea of Israel’s enemies becoming the beneficiaries of God’s mercy. Jonah is willing to circumvent Nineveh and leave it to destruction, but he becomes angry when God fails to save the gourd plant. The prophet selfishly thinks God should have spared this little tree that shaded Jonah from the fierce sun and wind. God’s reply shows how silly was Jonah’s attitude:

"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
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?" (Jonah 4:10-11)

Here we have proof, once again, that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and God’s ways are not our ways. And thank God for that! +