The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to embrace hope that our response to the prompting of the Spirit to witness to truth, love and compassion will contribute to conversion of evil situations in our environment.
The reading from the Book of Jonah presents the Conversion of Nineveh.
* [3:5] Great and small: the contrast can refer to distinctions of social class (prominent citizens and the poor).
* [3:7–8] Fasting and wearing sackcloth are signs of human repentance; here they are legislated even for the animals—a humorous touch, perhaps anticipating 4:11.
* [3:9–10] Scripture frequently presents the Lord as repenting (or, changing his mind) of the evil that he threatens; e.g., Gn 6:6–7; Jer 18:8. (Jonah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 51 is a prayer for Cleansing and Pardon.
* [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. The first part (Ps 51:3–10) asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Ps 51:11–19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Ps 51:12–13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer 31:33–34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (Ps 51:15–16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (Ps 51:17–19). The last two verses express the hope that God’s good will toward those who are cleansed and contrite will prompt him to look favorably on the acts of worship offered in the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 51:19 [20–21]). (Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus refers to the Sign of Jonah.
* [11:29–32] The “sign of Jonah” in Luke is the preaching of the need for repentance by a prophet who comes from afar. Cf. Mt 12:38–42 (and see notes there) where the “sign of Jonah” is interpreted by Jesus as his death and resurrection. (Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Gladyce Janky comments that life is often difficult. The world is messy, and the problems are too big to understand, much less resolve. Some days, it might feel like the harder we strive for justice, the more discord and injustice fill the earth.
At any time in our faith journey, life’s challenges can result in fear, doubt, and disbelief creeping in, attempting to convince us to lose hope. Yet hope is a basic need of the human person. Hope is the emotion that drives us to turn to God, no matter what difficulties arise. A hopeful interior stance helps us see (and accept) what is. Unconditional hope leaves room for God to respond as God deems appropriate, and prayer is what leads us forward in hope.
Lord, as we continue through this Lenten season, keep us mindful of any barriers we might construct that separates us from embracing unconditional hope in your love for everyone and everything in your creation.
Lent is the sacramental sign of our journey from slavery to freedom…it is a journey filled with hope.
Pope Francis*On Hope, Pope Francis, Loyola Press, Chicago, 2017. Quotes from the text are in Italics. (Janky, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “Don't put off conversion - tomorrow may never come,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God is not now so long-suffering in putting up with you that He will fail to be just in punishing. Do not say then: 'Tomorrow I shall be converted, tomorrow I shall please God, and all that I shall have done today and yesterday will be forgiven me.' What you say is true: God has promised forgiveness if you turn back to Him. But what He has not promised is that you will have tomorrow in which to achieve your conversion." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 144,11) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Jonah 3:1-10 invites us to imagine stepping out of an uncomfortable outfit and into something tailor-made for you. It fits you perfectly. It feels luxurious. And it looks beautiful! This is what it is like to experience God’s mercy.
We are one week into our Lenten journey. If you haven’t done it yet, think about setting aside some time each evening to examine your conscience. It doesn’t have to take long, and you don’t have to do a deep dive into your soul every time. Just sit in God’s presence, review your day, and identify those times when you felt the coarse chafing of sin. Then turn it over to the Lord and ask for his mercy. Let him clothe you in his righteousness!
“Jesus, thank you for your promise of mercy!” (Meditation on Jonah 3:1-10, 2025)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that Jonah runs away to avoid preaching conversion to Nineveh, a city that had persecuted the Hebrews. In the passage today Nineveh responds better than the Jewish people to the call to conversion. Friar Jude notes that Jesus references Nineveh as he addresses His rejection by the Jewish religious leaders.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, points to Jesus’ first sermon, when he quotes the prophet Isaiah to emphasize a message of inclusion.
I am ready to be approached by those who do not consult me,
Ready to be found by those who do not seek me.
I say, “I am here. I am here!” to a nation that does not
even invoke my name. (Isaiah 65:1)
This sounds like so much availability and generosity from God’s side, perhaps too much for us to hope for. And yet this is where Isaiah lands for the rest of the prophecy, until the very final verse (66:24) where he makes a seeming allusion to the fires of Gehenna. But in Jewish teaching, the metaphor of fire doesn’t focus on eternal punishment. In the whole Bible, fire is almost entirely a “refiner’s fire” of purification in this world, not a fire of torture in the next. (Rohr, n.d.)
The familiar account of Jonah swallowed by a whale reminds us that we may be nudged by the Spirit to change direction and become agents of change for Christ in our outreach to others.
References
Janky, G. (2025, March 12). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/031225.html
Jonah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jonah/3?1
Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?29
Meditation on Jonah 3:1-10. (2025, March 12). The Word Among Us. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/03/12/1225525/
Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51?3
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Universal Liberation and Love. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/universal-liberation-and-love/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Sign of Jonah for an Evil Generation. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=mar12
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