We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin. - C. S. Lewis: (1898 –1963: was a British novelist, poet, & academic)
Scripture
Text: (JON 3:1-5, 10)
The word of the LORD came to Jonah,
saying:
"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 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.
"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 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.
In the first reading from the book of
Jonah at today’s Mass, God called Jonah and sent him to Nineveh to announce
repentance and faith in God or they would all be destroyed. Jonah did as God
said and within a day, the whole city repented, “believed God; they proclaimed
a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.” V. 5 According to
the text, God changes his mind and does not destroy the city or its
inhabitants. In the gospel reading Jesus himself is the message, God with us,
and the messenger. He announces that the kingdom of God is at hand and he urges
us to repent and believe in the good news that his is bringing (Mark 1:14-20).
It strikes me that these are only two
examples among many throughout Scripture where God invites us to repent and
change our ways. God invites us towards being like his son every day and the
Life that only God can give. This invitation seems to be always open, God is
faithful; and at the same time it seems to be continually coming to us and
inviting a response from us.
No comments:
Post a Comment