I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord. JN 13:34
JONAH 1:1-2:1,11
My Soul's Beloved,
It does the Christian no good to run away from Your will, O Lord, once we know what it is. We who have been baptized in the Catholic Church, have been raised Catholic, who know the Commandments of God and the consequences of breaking them, and still do so, will only experience calamity after calamity. There is no escaping the wrath of God and His righteous judgments when we fail to do what we clearly know to be right, good, holy, and true. We cannot hide from You, O Sovereign Lord, hard as we try, You will always find us for You will relentlessly seek the lost to save. If we continue to run in the opposite direction of Your will for us, we will, like Jonah, find ourselves on the high seas of life with storms and perilous winds tossing us about and threatening our lives. There is peace apart from You, and when we align our will to Yours, Beloved, we will know true peace. To seek Your will in all things and act on it is the only way to live this earthly life with confidence and peace.
The pagans and worshippers of false gods on the ship knew that the God of Jonah was the true God after experiencing His power in the storm and the ensuing calm once they tossed the cause of the storm, Jonah, into the sea. We, too, must be prepared to rid our lives of every obstacle that blocks us from living our faith authentically. There can be no greater offence to God when knowing the Truth, we do not live it, make excuses for ourselves, disobey God, allow concupiscence to dominate, and kill our conscience that warns us against breaking the very laws that were given to us to live a life of abundant grace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Beloved, thank You for doing whatever it takes to bring us back to our senses and back to You, no matter how much it breaks our hearts and lives. Once we decide to return to You with humble hearts and a contrite spirit, You will make a new creation of us, and there is no greater joy for the lost sheep than being carried home by the Good Shepherd and returning to the sheepfold.
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah son of Amittai:
‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and inform them that their wickedness has become known to me.’ Jonah decided to run away from the Lord, and to go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish; he paid his fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish, to get away from the Lord. But the Lord unleashed a violent wind on the sea, and there was such a great storm at sea that the ship threatened to break up. The sailors took fright, and each of them called on his own god, and to lighten the ship they threw the cargo overboard. Jonah, however, had gone below and lain down in the hold and fallen fast asleep. The boatswain came upon him and said, ‘What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps he will spare us a thought, and not leave us to die.’ Then they said to each other, ‘Come on, let us draw lots to find out who is responsible for bringing this evil on us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell to Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us, what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your nationality?’ He replied, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.’ The sailors were seized with terror at this and said, ‘What have you done?’ They knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had told them so. They then said, ‘What are we to do with you, to make the sea grow calm for us?’ For the sea was growing rougher and rougher. He replied, ‘Take me and throw me into the sea, and then it will grow calm for you. For I can see it is my fault this violent storm has happened to you.’ The sailors rowed hard in an effort to reach the shore, but in vain, since the sea grew still rougher for them. They then called on the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, do not let us perish for taking this man’s life; do not hold us guilty of innocent blood; for you, the Lord, have acted as you have thought right.’ And taking hold of Jonah they threw him into the sea; and the sea grew calm again. At this the men were seized with dread of the Lord; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
The Lord had arranged that a great fish should be there to swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. The Lord spoke to the fish, which then vomited Jonah on to the shore.
PSALM, JONAH 2:3-5,8
You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’
But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah son of Amittai:
‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and inform them that their wickedness has become known to me.’ Jonah decided to run away from the Lord, and to go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish; he paid his fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish, to get away from the Lord. But the Lord unleashed a violent wind on the sea, and there was such a great storm at sea that the ship threatened to break up. The sailors took fright, and each of them called on his own god, and to lighten the ship they threw the cargo overboard. Jonah, however, had gone below and lain down in the hold and fallen fast asleep. The boatswain came upon him and said, ‘What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps he will spare us a thought, and not leave us to die.’ Then they said to each other, ‘Come on, let us draw lots to find out who is responsible for bringing this evil on us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell to Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us, what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your nationality?’ He replied, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.’ The sailors were seized with terror at this and said, ‘What have you done?’ They knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had told them so. They then said, ‘What are we to do with you, to make the sea grow calm for us?’ For the sea was growing rougher and rougher. He replied, ‘Take me and throw me into the sea, and then it will grow calm for you. For I can see it is my fault this violent storm has happened to you.’ The sailors rowed hard in an effort to reach the shore, but in vain, since the sea grew still rougher for them. They then called on the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, do not let us perish for taking this man’s life; do not hold us guilty of innocent blood; for you, the Lord, have acted as you have thought right.’ And taking hold of Jonah they threw him into the sea; and the sea grew calm again. At this the men were seized with dread of the Lord; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
The Lord had arranged that a great fish should be there to swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. The Lord spoke to the fish, which then vomited Jonah on to the shore.
PSALM, JONAH 2:3-5,8
You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
Out of my distress I cried to the Lord
and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you have heard my voice.
and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you have heard my voice.
You cast me into the abyss, into the heart of the sea,
and the flood surrounded me.
All your waves, your billows,
washed over me.
And I said: I am cast out
from your sight.
How shall I ever look again
on your holy Temple?
While my soul was fainting within me,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came before you
into your holy Temple.
and the flood surrounded me.
All your waves, your billows,
washed over me.
And I said: I am cast out
from your sight.
How shall I ever look again
on your holy Temple?
While my soul was fainting within me,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came before you
into your holy Temple.
You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
LUKE 10:25-37
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
The world is full of people like the lawyer in today's Gospel, who thought he could show You up before the crowd by questioning You. He was uncomfortable with Your teaching and preaching because he knew he fell short of the standard that You held up to Your hearers, wishing to be Your disciples. He knew the answer to the question that he asked You, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' So many in the world who ask questions to which their conscience knows the answer do so only to justify their own smug pseudo-intellectual denial of the Truth. The Wisdom of God will always prevail, for Truth is not a concept or just an ideal to pursue, but it is God Himself, the Eternal Word of the Father. However, the lawyer, knowing he had lost face before the crowd since he surely already knew the answer to his question, tried to gain lost ground by posing another, 'Who is my neighbor?'
You then narrated the sublime parable on the Good Samaritan, leaving no doubt in anyone's minds as to who is considered a neighbor. Most of us fall short just as the priest and the Levite did. The news around the world is full of stories of turning a blind eye to injustice, cruelty, violence, and bigotry toward the poor, the weak, those in the minority, the stranger, and the marginalized. We have become insensate to the horrors that take place before our very eyes because we are closed in on ourselves. We are selfish, egoistic, pleasure-seekers, who look out for number one while the rest of the world can perish. However, this comes at a price, and eventually we will be on the receiving end of the world's indifference and apathy.
You, O Lord, are not only the Good Samaritan in the parable but also the man who was laid upon by brigands. Today, we are invited to be like the Good Samaritan and to see You in the suffering of the less fortunate people in the world. For anything we do to the least of Your little ones, You consider being done to You.
There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’
But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’
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