The spirit you received is the spirit of sons,
and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ ROM 8:15
JONAH 4:1-11
My Soul's Beloved,
Only sinners who are truly contrite and repentant, who are aware how undeserving we are of Your mercy, can be grateful for Your goodness, Your kindness, Your tenderness. How good You are, Lord, You are willing to forgive and forget all our transgressions and to cast them behind Your back, never to recall them again. But the self-righteous, the holier than thou, like poor Jonah, often relish the punishment that is visited on the sinner. We would rather see their downfall and destruction than to pray for their conversion and their restoration.
Jonah, the reluctant prophet, ran in the opposite direction from where God wanted him to go, and he soon discovered that we can run, but we cannot hide from You. It is far better to obey God than to whine and make excuses. Yet, You loved Jonah as well. You taught him tenderly that he was wrong to wish for the destruction of Nineveh, no matter how deserving they were of God's wrath.
Beloved, heaven rejoices over the return of one repentant sinner. You came to seek and save the lost, and You remind us that You came for the sick, not the healthy. This is consoling, Beloved, for I know that I am a sinner and I need You always. I belong to Your sheepfold, seek for me, Lord, relentlessly, no matter how far I depart from You. Carry me back and keep me safe until my journey here is ended.
Jonah was very indignant; he fell into a rage. He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Ah, Lord, is not this just as I said would happen when I was still at home? That was why I went and fled to Tarshish: I knew that you were a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, relenting from evil. So now, Lord, please take away my life, for I might as well be dead as go on living.’ The Lord replied, ‘Are you right to be angry?’
Jonah then went out of the city and sat down to the east of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God arranged that a castor-oil plant should grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head and soothe his ill-humour; Jonah was delighted with the castor-oil plant. But at dawn the next day, God arranged that a worm should attack the castor-oil plant – and it withered.
Next, when the sun rose, God arranged that there should be a scorching east wind; the sun beat down so hard on Jonah’s head that he was overcome and begged for death, saying, ‘I might as well be dead as go on living.’ God said to Jonah, ‘Are you right to be angry about the castor-oil plant?’ He replied, ‘I have every right to be angry, to the point of death.’ The Lord replied, ‘You are only upset about a castor-oil plant which cost you no labour, which you did not make grow, which sprouted in a night and has perished in a night. And am I not to feel sorry for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, to say nothing of all the animals?’
PSALM 85(86):3-6,9-10
You, O Lord, have mercy and compassion.
Jonah then went out of the city and sat down to the east of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God arranged that a castor-oil plant should grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head and soothe his ill-humour; Jonah was delighted with the castor-oil plant. But at dawn the next day, God arranged that a worm should attack the castor-oil plant – and it withered.
Next, when the sun rose, God arranged that there should be a scorching east wind; the sun beat down so hard on Jonah’s head that he was overcome and begged for death, saying, ‘I might as well be dead as go on living.’ God said to Jonah, ‘Are you right to be angry about the castor-oil plant?’ He replied, ‘I have every right to be angry, to the point of death.’ The Lord replied, ‘You are only upset about a castor-oil plant which cost you no labour, which you did not make grow, which sprouted in a night and has perished in a night. And am I not to feel sorry for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, to say nothing of all the animals?’
PSALM 85(86):3-6,9-10
You, O Lord, have mercy and compassion.
You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.
All the nations shall come to adore you
and glorify your name, O Lord:
for you are great and do marvellous deeds,
you who alone are God.
You, O Lord, have mercy and compassion.
LUKE 11:1-4
My Soul's Beloved,
Thank You for teaching us to pray and for showing us the way to approach God, who dwells in unapproachable light. Who can come into the Presence of the Almighty? Only those with a clean heart and a pure mind, who desire not worthless things. You teach us the right disposition when we worship God. You desire us to approach Him as our Father, our Abba, our Dad, giving Him the honor, respect, and worship that is due to Him alone. We are to pray for the coming of the ultimate goal of our Christian life, and that is to establish God's Kingdom in our hearts first and then in the world. We can only come into our ultimate inheritance when we accomplish the mission given to all the baptized, which is to preach the Good News to the ends of the earth.
Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God, thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit, the Church, the hierarchy, Sacred Scripture, and Tradition. Keep us faithful in carrying out the mission entrusted to us, only then will the peace that You came to give us come upon the earth. Grant us grace, strength, and courage to work tirelessly to the end.
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
‘“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’
He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
‘“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’
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