We’ve all been faced with some rather unpleasant tasks to do. Some occur daily, like faithfully working out every morning at 6:00 a.m. Some occur annually, like clearing our calendars so we can finalize our income taxes. And some we would rather not even consider, like trying to tell our friend they are spending too much time watching political news and need to focus their attention instead on their families and the lives of those they love.
In today’s first reading, Jonah faces an even bigger problem than any of these mentioned. He must go to the wickedest city in all of Assyria to tell the citizens and their king that if they don’t repent from their sinful ways, fire and brimstone will soon rain down upon them, and their city will be destroyed. As evidenced by Jonah’s first refusing to do as God commanded, his assignment was most likely faced with great trepidation.
Fast forward to the present. Each of us can think of being tasked with a seemingly impossible job or one that could certainly be detrimental to our well-being or our relationship with a friend or family member. Like Jonah, fear, reluctance, and maybe outright refusal to act are likely a given. But they need not be. God has assured us that we can turn to him for strength and guidance.
As we go about our affairs today, let’s not back away from the difficult or awkward, from tough conversations that need to be made, to the difficult actions that can no longer be delayed. Like Jonah, let us ask God to be present, calm us, and give us the strength to tackle the difficult. And let us also ask God to open the ears and hearts of those who need to let the love of Jesus into their lives and hearts, so our message is heard and understood.
Maybe our results will not be as stunning as Jonah’s and the good that came from him finally accepting God’s call to preach to those least likely to take his words to heart. And maybe we will not obtain the positive outcome that followed because of the actions he undertook.
But, if we don’t try,
Steve Scholer
I came to Creighton to attend law school in 1976 and following 5 years of private practice I started what I thought would be a 4 year job to help Fr. James Hoff, S.J. raise funds for the Campaign for Creighton. Little did I know that the many wonderful people I would soon meet, both here on campus and across the entire country, over the next few years would lead me to stay and continue to support the mission of this University. My wife is a Creighton graduate and our son, Frank, is a Xavier undergraduate and Creighton law graduate. Our daughter, Paige, has both her undergraduate and master’s degree from Creighton.
I do not participate in social media websites so posting my personal interpretation about what the readings mean to me is a novel experience for me. However, being required to put pen to paper forced me to become more reflective about what God is really trying to say to me and this has helped me in my daily prayer life - to slow down and let the Word of God dwell within me instead of racing through the daily devotions.
