Sunday, January 25, 2015

Your Weekly Reflection from CMMB 1/25/15



Your Weekly Reflection
Third Sunday, Ordinary Time
“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.”
Jonah 3:10
Dear John,
I love the Book of Jonah. In fact it is my favorite book of the Bible. Why? It is a story, it is short, it is humorous, and it has a message of Good News. Poor Jonah, the reluctant prophet who runs away from the Lord, ends up in the belly of the whale. But he repents and then carries out his mission, a mission which leads to the conversion of the great city of Nineveh. Even more remarkable than the repentance, the change in Jonah is the change in God. It says—as we have quoted—that “God repented”! Yes, God changes His mind in view of the good work done by Jonah the prophet.

If even God can change, then surely we can, too. Might we not be a bit more mindful of the millions of children and mothers who suffer because of lack of health care, lack of education, lack of access to water and medicine? One way to show that we are mindful is to contribute to some charitable organization such as the Catholic Medical Mission Board. In this way we gain an increased awareness of the needs of mothers and children in Africa and elsewhere, and more important, we also bring aid to them.


Rev. Peter Schineller, SJ
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Lord God, here on earth You are constantly seeking to change us. At times, like Jonah, we wish to flee into the wilderness to avoid You. Teach us to be open to Your call, Your voice, Your inspiration. Teach us to be open to the needs and sufferings of Your people. And teach us how best to respond to that call, following the life and example of Jesus Christ. We pray in His name, Christ our Lord. Amen. 

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