By Lou Occhi
On the third day, the giant fish vomits Jonah onto the shore. Again, this recalls the three days Jesus spent in the tomb. Jonah now heads to Nineveh. There is no mention in the book about Jonah bathing. Personally, I don’t think there is any amount of bathing that would totally remove the stench of fish vomit.
Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Jonah 3:1-10
Luke 10:38-42
In today’s gospel, Jesus is visiting Martha and her sister Mary. Martha and Mary have a choice to make. Each one can choose to be a good hostess and serve their guests, or can sit and listen to the Lord. How do we know what He expects of us if we do not listen to Him? Martha and Mary were blessed with the opportunity to sit face-to-face with Jesus and learn from Him. Mary chose the better part.
The first reading is from the very short book of Jonah. This book is divided into four parts.
Jonah’s disobedience and flight.
Jonah’s prayer.
Jonah’s obedience and the Ninevites’ repentance.
Jonah’s anger and God’s reproof.
We don’t know if any of the book is based on fact, a form of satire, or irony. Yet, there are elements of teaching, and elements that parallel events in Jesus’ life.
The first reading is limited to the second half of the book. To understand the reading, it is necessary to recall the contents of the entire book in the order in which it is written.
It begins with the word of the Lord that came to Jonah. The Lord instructed him to go to Nineveh and tell the people that the Lord would destroy their city because of their wickedness. This seems simple enough. What is not mentioned in the book is that Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrian Empire was a mortal enemy of the Jews and had overthrown Northern Israel and devastated Jerusalem. Imagine if the Lord came to you and told you to go to the capital of China and rail against President Xi.
Well, Jonah nodded, listened to the Lord’s request, and agreed with Him. I can imagine Jonah saying, “You betcha, yes sir, I’m with you.” As soon as the Lord left, Jonah packed his bags, went to Joppa, and boarded the first ship to Tarshish to get as far away from Nineveh as possible.
Shortly after the ship departed, a strong wind blew, and the seas became fierce. The crew was frightened because the boat was in danger of sinking. Jonah was asleep below the deck. The crew went to Jonah and asked if he was somehow responsible for this storm. Jonah immediately realizes that the Lord is after him. He tells the crew to throw him overboard. The crew was reluctant to kill him. However, Jonah insisted they do it to save themselves. So, the crew heaves him over the side of the ship.
This reminds me of the time Jesus was asleep in a boat with the apostles. It also reminds me of how Jesus would give up his life for us. However, the storm continues until the crew repents of throwing Jonah overboard, and they offer a sacrifice to the Lord to atone for their sin. Their repentance pleases the Lord, and He quells the storm.
Meanwhile, Jonah is swallowed by a giant fish. Jonah feels that he will die in this fish. After betraying the Lord, he repents and decides to pray that the Lord will rescue him. It is a lovely prayer. Parts of it remind me of Psalm 22. The prayer begins with, “Out of my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me. From the womb of Sheol, I cried for help, and you heard my voice”. It ends with, “But I, with thankful voice, will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay: deliverance is from the Lord.”
On the third day, the giant fish vomits Jonah onto the shore. Again, this recalls the three days Jesus spent in the tomb. Jonah now heads to Nineveh. There is no mention in the book about Jonah bathing. Personally, I don’t think there is any amount of bathing that would totally remove the stench of fish vomit.
When he arrives at Nineveh, he begins warning the people that the Lord will destroy their city in forty days. Amazingly, the people believe him. The word spreads quickly from mouth to mouth until it finally reaches the king. The king put on sackcloth and sat in ashes. He then declares that all inhabitants should don sackcloth and cover all animals with sackcloth to atone for their wicked ways. The Lord acknowledges their repentance and their return to the Lord, and the destruction of Nineveh is withdrawn.
Jonah is furious. After all he went through, he won’t get to see Nineveh destroyed. He goes off to a distance to see if anything will eventually happen to Nineveh. The Lord provides Jonah with a gourd plant to shelter him from the blazing heat. That night, the Lord allows a worm to kill the plant. In the morning, a strong, dry wind blew over Jonah, which caused him much suffering. Now he is even more furious at the Lord. The Lord reminds Jonah that he cared more about the death of the plant than the possible slaughter of 120,000 Ninevites.
To me, this story uses Jonah as a satire of our humanity. Sometimes we are faced with things we should do, but we find numerous reasons to avoid them. One day a long time ago, Jill and I were with friends. I don’t remember exactly where we were or who we were with. We were standing around when a young woman started talking loudly about being pro-choice. My friend quickly pointed out to her that she is promoting the murder of children. I was deeply impressed by my friend. It takes a lot of courage to stand up as a Christian and speak boldly on behalf of our faith.
Then, there are times in our lives when we face difficulties. The nature of the difficulty is irrelevant. We turn to God in prayer and put our troubles in His hands. When it is all over, we frequently forget to thank God for hearing our prayers. Other times, things go badly for our enemies. There is a tendency to take pleasure in their misfortune. Instead, we should pray for them. These scenarios can go on and on.
If we reflect on our daily activities, I am confident we will find that there are things we should have done or could have done better. We are human and have weaknesses. God understands us and knows we will fail at times. He also appreciates our acknowledgment of our shortcomings and our efforts to overcome them. Remember how the Lord spared the Ninevites when they repented of their wicked ways. As today’s psalm states, “If you, O Lord, mark inequities, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness that you may be revered”.