Reading 1
Jon 3:1-10
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh,and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,according to the LORD’s bidding.Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;it took three days to go through it.Jonah began his journey through the city,and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”when the people of Nineveh believed God;they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh,he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,by decree of the king and his nobles:“Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,shall taste anything;they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God;every man shall turn from his evil wayand from the violence he has in hand.Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath,so that we shall not perish.”When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;he did not carry it out.
Gospel
Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.She had a sister named Marywho sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,“Lord, do you not carethat my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply,“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better partand it will not be taken from her.”
Meditation:
Jonah 3:1-10
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh… .” So Jonah made ready and went. (Jonah 3:1-3)
Imagine how pleased God must have been when Jonah finally decided to go to Nineveh! Like any good father, God had given Jonah a second chance to do what he asked of him. It must have been gratifying to see his prophet put aside the hatred and superiority he felt toward the Ninevites so that he could bring God’s word to them.
Think of the way parents treat their young child who is learning how to walk. They don’t expect the child to get it right the first time. But they encourage each step in the right direction and keep their eyes on the long-term goal. Maybe the child will be an Olympic athlete one day, but for now, all that is needed is to put one foot in front of the other.
This is the way God works with us. He gives us a second chance, or even a third or fourth chance, to do his will. He gives us the time and opportunity to bring our lives in line with his will. And while he would prefer that we get it right the first time, he is always looking to the future, not to the past.
There may be areas in your life where you feel that you have failed the Lord. Perhaps like Jonah, you have resisted God’s call to share his word with someone. Maybe you are in the middle of a long-standing feud with someone, and God wants you to heal the rift. Or there may be an area of sin that you are simply unwilling to let go of. Whatever it is, you can take heart from the story of Jonah. God doesn’t expect immediate perfection; he loves progress. All he asks is that you take one more step, even if you’re not sure you can take the second. He will always be there, ready to catch you if you fall, cheering you on every step of the way!
“Father, I hear your voice, and I want to follow you. Open my heart to say ‘yes’ to you. Remove the barriers that hold me back. Make me bold and courageous, Lord!”
Psalm 130:1-4,7-8; Luke 10:38-42
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