Monday 9 October 2023
St Denis & Cc; St John Leonardi
Jonah 1:1 – 2:1, 11. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord – Jonah 2:3-5, 8. Luke 10:25-37.
The embodiment of decency
One thing that stands out in the story of Jonah is the humanity of the sailors. They do everything they can not to sacrifice Jonah to the waves, even though they are in great fear and have been made aware that the deadly storm threatening them has been caused by Jonah’s disobedience to God. They try to row back to shore even after Jonah himself has asked them to throw him overboard. Then, even though they have different religious beliefs, they pray to Jonah’s God, the God of the Jews, in a state of misery over the action they must take. They feel ashamed. They come across as decent men placed in impossible circumstances. In contrast to Jonah’s mean reluctance to obey God, the Samaritan in the Gospel story is the embodiment of decency, just like that of the sailors, but revealed in a different situation. God, make us humanely decent people.
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