Jonah

My dear Friends

I thought I would write a little about Jonah today. Jonah had a mission to convert the people of Nineveh, but he was a reluctant prophet who ran away from his mission. He embarked on a long sea voyage in which there was a storm and the people thought they were dying. Jonah took this to mean that the wrath of God was against him and volunteered to jump into the sea to alleviate the storm. Once in the sea God arranged for him to be swallowed by a whale to preserve him.

Jonah was inside the whale for 3 days and 3 nights. He prayed fervently to God for all that time, a truly sublime prayer of repentance which God heard and saved him by having the fish spew Jonah out onto dry land. Jonah then decided to take up his mission and to preach to the people of Nineveh.

Can we ever escape from the hand of God? And if we truly have a mission can we ever turn our back on it? We would do well to heed Jonah's story. For it is in running away that we truly find ourselves, when God leads us gently back.

Shalom from
Sister Gila