Word to the Wise
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 - Wednesday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
[Jonah 4:1-11 and Luke 11:1-4]But God said to Jonah, "Have you reason to be angry over the plant?" "I have reason to be angry," Jonah answered, 'angry enough to die." Then the Lord said, "You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over NIneveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from the left, not to mention the many cattle?" [Jonah]
The story of Jonah is familiar to us at least in respect to his being swallowed by a "whale." It was familiar to Jesus and his listeners as well. (Mt. 12:40) Jesus used that part of the story as a prediction of his resurrection. "Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights."
However, the bigger story of Jonah trying to run away from God, finally obeying God and then sulking when God didn't do what Jonah expected is worth our attention. For Jonah, the relationship between him and God is all about ME (Jonah). But God answers, "No, the relationship is all about ME (God!)" Jonah wanted to have his cake and eat it, too! He tries to run away from God and then when he has no choice but to obey God, he sulks at the results. He expected Nineveh to be destroyed and God did not do that. Jonah then becomes like a petulant child and sulks.
When we try to do everything ourselves and only turn to God when we have no choice, do we sulk if God does not fulfill our every wish? If we are tempted to read Jonah's story and say, "Aw, c'mon Jonah, get over it!" maybe we should look in the mirror and say the same thing when we are upset that God doesn't "answer" our prayers the way we want. AMEN