You can run, but you cannot hide

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100719.cfm
Jonah 1:1-2, 2:1-2, 11
Luke 10:25-37

The summary of this reflection is that you can run but you cannot hide from the Lord.  He is always with you even in times of great distress.

Today’s reading from Jonah starts out with the Lord telling Jonah to set out for Nineveh.  He is to preach against it and to tell them that their wickedness has come before the Lord.  Well there are three possible outcomes for Jonah.  The first is that he is totally ignored.  The second is that they all listen and repent of their wicked ways.  The third is that they beat the living tar out of him.  Jonah apparently thought the third outcome was most likely and decided to hop the first boat leaving Joppa.  Jonah paid the fare and headed out.  Obviously he thought that the Lord, creator of all things seen and unseen would never figure out that he was on a boat heading for Tarshish as long as he stayed below deck.

As it turned out the Lord wasn’t fooled by this great plan and caused a great storm.  All the crew were frightened and began praying to their own gods to no success.  In those days, when no apparent solution was obvious, it seems that they would cast lots.  As a result it was decided that Jonah was the cause of their situation since he had told them that he was fleeing from the Lord.  Jonah suggested that they pick him up and throw him into the sea so that the storm would quiet down.  To the credit of the crew, they resisted doing that.  As the storm got worse the crew decided that they would go with Jonah’s plan.  Again to their credit they asked for God’s forgiveness before throwing Jonah overboard.

Our God knows us intimately.  He knows our every thought, word, action and in-action.  I for one need to be more aware of God’s presence.  If I were, it would certainly affect my outlook on life.  It would make me think more about the things I should and should not do.  I would be more aware of God’s love for us.  When I fail, as I surely will, I know that He is there waiting for me to come back to Him just as He was waiting for Jonah when Jonah decided he would sacrifice his own life for that of the crew.  This last part sure seems to parallel the New Testament story of Jesus.

The reading goes on to say that once Jonah was cast into the sea, the sea quieted down. Jonah was then swallowed by a fish prepared by the Lord.  The reading ends with Jonah praying to the Lord.  After three days and nights in the belly of the fish the Lord causes the fish to spew Jonah out onto dry land.    Again, this recalls the Jesus’ descent into Hell for three days and is followed by His resurrection from the dead.

The problem with the reading is that the very interesting part is Jonah’s prayer which occurs while Jonah is in the belly of the fish.  It reads as follows:

“And Jonah prayed to the Lord, his God, from the belly of the fish. And he said: “I cried out to the Lord from my tribulation, and he heeded me. From the belly of hell, I cried out, and you heeded my voice. And you have thrown me into the deep, in the heart of the sea, and a flood has encircled me. All your whirlpools and your waves have passed over me. And I said: I am expelled from the sight of your eyes. Yet, truly, I will see your holy temple again. The waters surrounded me, even to the soul. The abyss has walled me in. The ocean has covered my head. I descended to the base of the mountains. The bars of the earth have enclosed me forever. And you will raise up my life from corruption, Lord, my God. When my soul was in anguish within me, I called to mind the Lord, so that my prayer might come to you, to your holy temple. Those who in vain observe vanities, abandon their own mercy. But I, with a voice of praise, will sacrifice to you.”

This prayer reminded me of my trip to Jerusalem.  There we visited the church of Gallicantu which translates to cock’s crow.  It is built over a public jail called the Sacred Pit close to the home of Caiaphas.  At the entrance there is a sign that reads:

“When these underground caves were rediscovered in 1889, their physical characteristics, their proximity to Caiaphas palace, and their contiguity with the Sacred Pit (dungeon) all suggested the public jail where, according to a 4th century Jerusalem tradition not recorded in the gospels, Jesus would have been scourged not only by Pilate but also by Caiaphas and where the apostles Peter and John would have been held and scourged for preaching in the name of Jesus after the resurrection (Acts 5:19-42).” 

The picture on the left shows where prisoners were chained and scourged.  The picture on the middle is the entrance to the Sacred Pit.  Prisoners were tied up with ropes and lowered into the pit.  There was no lighting in the pit which was around 20 feet square.  There was no escape from the pit.  The Armenians were kind enough to build a stairwell into the pit so that pilgrims could see how terrible this holding pit was and to recall Christ’s abandonment and suffering.

When we entered the pit our priest read Psalm 88 to us.  So, I will close with this psalm.  Note how closely this psalm comes to the prayer that Jonah made while in the belly of the fish.

Following is Psalm 88 for you to read.  Let it remind you of what Jesus must have gone through while in this pit.  Never forget that the Lord knows your suffering and will never abandon you even in your darkest hour.

Psalms, 88

O Lord, God of my salvation: I have cried out, day and night, in your presence. Let my prayer enter in your sight. Incline your ear to my petition. For my soul has been filled with evils, and my life has drawn near to Hell. I am considered to be among those who will descend into the pit. I have become like a man without assistance, idle among the dead. I am like the wounded sleeping in sepulchers, whom you no longer remember, and who have been repelled by your hand. They have lain me in the lower pit: in dark places and in the shadow of death. Your fury has been confirmed over me. And you have brought all your waves upon me. You have sent my acquaintances far from me. They have set me as an abomination to themselves. I was handed over, yet I did not depart. My eyes languished before destitution. All day long, I cried out to you, O Lord. I stretched out my hands to you. Will you perform wonders for the dead? Or will physicians raise to life, and so confess to you? Could anyone declare your mercy in the sepulcher, or your truth from within perdition? Will your wonders be known in the darkness, or your justice in the land of oblivion? And I have cried out to you, O Lord, and in early morning, my prayer will come before you. Lord, why do you reject my prayer? Why do you turn your face away from me? I am poor, and I have been amid hardships from my youth. And, though I have been exalted, I am humbled and disturbed. Your wrath has crossed into me, and your terrors have disturbed me. They have surrounded me like water, all day long. They have surrounded me, all at once. Friend and neighbor, and my acquaintances, you have sent far away from me, away from misery.