RELUCTANCE AND

THE BOOK OF JONAH

INTRODUCTION

Today’s first reading features a section of The Book of Jonah - and having read that I came up with the theme and the title for his homily, “Reluctance and The Book of Jonah.”


Today’s first reading triggered the memory of reading a book many, many years ago entitled, “Jonah: The Reluctant Prophet.” It might have been written by Alexander Jones - but I couldn’t trace it down on the Internet.


In doing that search yesterday, I noticed that when preachers preach on Jonah, the word “reluctance” often shows up.


RELUCTANCE


Think about reluctance.


What to say and what not to say or when to say something to another? Choosing a career path? Marriage? Children? Switching jobs?  Kids dating so and so? Another’s drinking patterns? Suggesting to another to bathe more or brush their teeth? Kids living together - and not being married? Moving? When to put a house on the market?


Reluctance means hesitation, stopping to consider, delaying, going slowly because one has some doubts or wonderings or fear about going in a certain direction. Reluctance indicates resisting, holding back or holding off, or see sawing a “yes’ or a “no”, being moderate, or to put oneself in neutral, or even in park, or reverse - and maybe go another way or direction.


Reluctance…. That’s Jonah’s middle name.


So Jonah has been labeled the reluctant prophet.


When was the last time you felt reluctance? What was going on?


THE BOOK OF JONAH


The Book of Jonah is a very short book or scroll in the Jewish Bible. As you know, the original texts didn’t have chapter and verses indicated in the text. In our texts, it’s 4 chapters and 48 verses all together. It can be read calmly in less than 10 minutes. When told as a story, I would think 7 minutes would be the max.


It’s found in the Jewish Bible with the prophets. It was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery. It has been a part of Israel’s body of thought. It’s read in its entirety at the afternoon service in Jewish synagogues on Yon Kippur - the Day of Repentance.


It’s a parable, a story, an imaginative tale, with an interesting theme: reaching out to the non-Jews - which is rarely a theme or a message in the Jewish Bible. It’s also a journey into the mind of God - and those who take that journey by reading this book, can have it come home to them that God is a God of mercy and forgiveness and second chances.


THE STORY


We know the story.


A man named Jonah is called by God to preach the message of repentance - change - conversion - to the people in the city of Nineveh in Assyria.


Jonah does not want to do this. It’s different. It’s difficult. It’s dangerous. So Jonah is reluctant - scared - filled with hesitation. He just doesn’t want to do this.


So he heads for the docks to get in a boat to get as far away from this call by God. He finds a boat that is about to set sail for Tarshish. Some say that means Spain. It doesn’t make much difference - it’s a tale. The boat sets sail when the tide is going out - and no sooner are they out to sea that a big storm comes up.


The crew say that someone on board is the problem. Finally they say it’s Jonah and they toss him overboard and the storm stops.


A big fish swallows Jonah and he’s inside this fish for 3 days and 3 nights.


Jonah is praying - praying big time.


This is a big fish story. Jonah repents and the fish dumps him on a beach. Once more God asks Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach conversion.


This time he says, “Yes” to God. He goes to Nineveh and preaches, “You have 40 days to repent - otherwise God is going to destroy your city.”


Surprise. They repent and the city is not destroyed.


Message and moral of the story: When God calls you to do something, do it, otherwise expect trouble.


Message: God calls not just the Jews to salvation.


Message: the Ninevites repented and Israel isn’t repenting.


Message: we can say, “No” to God - but we can also change - our mind and say, “Yes”.


TODAY’S OTHER READINGS


I assume that the team that put together today’s readings had in mind thinking about that what Mark presents first. Mark’s theme is Jesus calling people to follow him. This is the year of Mark and we’ll go through his Gospel this year in Ordinary Time. Having today’s gospel in place, they took a reading from The Book of Jonah because like the gospel, it’s a calling story. It’s also at the water. Both readings present calls to preach.


The second reading often doesn’t fit in, but today’s 2nd reading does. The folks are expecting the end of the world - and Jonah is preaching the end of it all for these folks if they don’t repent.


FATHER MAPPLE


Let me talk about Herman Melville’s famous book, Moby Dick. There is a scene early on in the book that describes a sermon in a church. Melville is putting on paper background material before the Pequod - Captain Ahab’s boat - and the crew set sail in search of whales - especially Moby Dick.


Father Mapple is in the pulpit - an odd pulpit - that is designed as ship. Behind the preacher is a sea scene. He had to climb a rope ladder to get up into the pulpit. I checked this out by finding scenes on Moby Dick movies - on YouTube.

Rumors are that Father Mapple used to be a sailor - and in his sermon - which is long - he talks about, “When God calls, you better listen. When God tells us what he wants of us, we better do it.”


Father Mapple says that Jonah’s sin was disobedience. He would not listen to God.

To flesh out, to spell out that message, he tells the story of Jonah. This is a logical choice - because the main character in the book won’t listen to God or others. Moreover the big fish in the Jonah story was described as the whale. And Captain Ahab ends up being killed by a whale.


The Jewish scriptures don’t say it’s a whale in the Jonah story. It simply tells the reader,  it’s a big fish.


Father Mapple in his sermon on Jonah says that God calls us - God gives us a mission - God gives us our destiny and we better follow it.


A MESSAGE


A message for us today is to sit here in this church and ask God is He sending us a message. If God is, what is that message? If we grasp and get that message, are we following it? Or are we reluctant?


I have thought about that question - God’s will, God’s plan, God’s hope for me - much of my life.


I don’t know how to say that - other than that way - but I suspect - I assume - that everyone of us - has wondered about this question all our lives.


If for starters, God has a plan, a wanting, a will, a hope for me, how specific is it.


In reflecting upon all this for this homily, a key division of thought that hit me was:  looking backwards and looking forwards.


At the age of 72, looking back at my life, I down deep say to myself and to God, “This made sense - being who I am, what I chose, what I’ve done, what’s happened in my life so far.”


I’ve learned that this hits us from time to time - especially at moments in life - when one is experiencing a blessing.


For example, seeing a grandkid getting baptized or seeing one’s kids in a play or sitting in the stands and seeing one of our kids playing a great game or graduating - and feeling great gratitude..


That’s looking backwards.


What about moving forwards? What about my future? What’s next?


This is where reluctance shows up over and over again - whether to retire - or move to South Carolina - whether to take a job in Washington State or Washington D.C.


Where the issue of reluctance shows up for me on a regular basis is the question of what to preach upon.


Before I start working on a sermon, I say a prayer. I sometimes say, “God help me to come up with something that will help at least one person here.”


Then I read the readings - and listen to what pops up.


I hear themes and issues. Ideas hit me. Then I ask, “Is that what folks need today?”


When I hear myself saying, “Uh oh!” I’m often at a reluctance moment.


Here is where the question and the idea of reluctance comes up.


The clock is ticking. I have to come up with a homily.


Take the issue of abortion. 3 or 4 people said I have to preach about abortion this weekend - because tomorrow is the day we have the March for Life in Washington D.C. and to peacefully demonstrate that we think the Roe Vs. Wade decision - was wrong.


I’m against abortion - but I feel reluctance at times about preaching about it - because I realize a bunch of things come with it. I rather use the words, “Pro Life” - because I want to stress being pro life for the whole of life.


I realize this issue is used to get votes. I realize there are people in church who have experienced the pain of abortion in their lives or in their families.


When abortion is brought up in sermons, I realize people feel squirm - feel deep emotions - hear various, "What about ....?"- and these questions or issues are  jumping up and down in their brain - like on a trampoline. The word "abortion" brings with it “baggage” and even to stay that - hits buttons. It brings with it questions about the Catholic Church - and women’s issues -and men's issues - and men doing all the talking. It brings with it at times, “Capital Punishment”, “Child abuse by priests,” etc. It brings with it the strategy issue. What is the best way to end abortion, cut down on abortion, and what have you?


Talking about something is different than doing something about something - to make things better. That's why I always liked Pope Paul VI words, "Want peace. Work for justice." That's why I like the slogan, "Action speaks louder than words."


As priest, I remember being at a talk when I first got here on abortion. A speaker - a priest - came to St. John Neumann and said “There should be something said about abortion in every homily - and you should tell your priests that.” I raised my hand and said in the Q. and A. period,  “I am a priest and I disagree that a priest has to say something about abortion in every homily.”


Silence.


CONCLUSION



The title of my homily is, “Reluctance and The Book of Jonah.”


I said that the Book of Jonah brings up for me the issue of “Reluctance.”


I said that one area is to look backwards. In reminiscing, sometimes we realize that an experience, a decision, a moment or moments, in my life now makes sense. Thank you God.


I also said that the area of looking forwards brings with it feelings of reluctance at times. Having heard today’s readings - words from today’s pulpit - personal prayers while being here  in this church today, is there a calling to do something in my life? How specific does God get? Is it volunteering? Is it moving? Is it confrontation? Is if forgiveness?


And I dare say, I believe it’s right there - in the reluctance - where we will discover God’s deepest calls to us.