Jonah

01-23-2021Weekly Reflection

The story of Jonah in our first reading today is one of the most popular stories in the Bible, especially among children. The first time God called Jonah, he was afraid to follow God’s command to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. As a result, he was punished when a fish swallowed him up for three days. As we hear in the first reading, when God called Jonah a second time, he obeyed and went to Nineveh. Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus called the disciples and they immediately followed Him, leaving everything behind.

Biblical stories, like that of Jonah and the disciples, are constant reminders of what St. Paul means when he says, “God calls those who are weak in the world to shame the strong and those who are foolish in the world to shame the wise” (1 Cor 1:27). Jonah was an ordinary man and the disciples were fishermen. They were not educated, rich or of any significant status in the society. Jesus chose them not because of their personal abilities but because God wanted to use them as his instruments to preach the Good News to all people.

Like Jonah and the disciples, each one of us is called by God to choose a specific vocation in life and different ministries in the Church. Their call is a reminder that when God calls us to serve, we should not focus on our weaknesses and feelings of unworldliness. Rather, we are reminded in the Scripture readings today that God can use anyone as his instrument to bring about extraordinary things in the lives of other people.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we are told that every catholic is a missionary. We don’t have to travel far to a foreign land; we can be witnesses to Christ here in our own land. We are all called by God in different ways to accomplish different things in our lives. Like Jonah, some of us may be afraid to respond right away to the prompt of our heart. However, remember, God assures us that He will be with us always. All God wants from us is the willingness to say Yes to his call and follow through.

Thank you and remain blessed, Fr. James

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