Pastor’s Notes

Jonah is one of the few books in the Hebrew Bible regarded as comedy.  It has some wild ironic twists and a surprise ending.  The joke’s on Jonah, the reluctant prophet. Likewise on all the other devout Jews of his day who believed that God hated their enemies as much as they did.  Jonah resists the call to go to preach in Nineveh.  He wants to fail.  The city of  Nineva were enemies of Israel.  Jonah wanted to see them grovel. He did not want them to convert and avoid destruction.

Most of this drama is about Jonah’s attempt to escape his mission from God. When his pagan shipmates realize he is running away from israel’s God, they throw him overboard.  A huge fish swallows him and then delivers him to the shores of Nineveh. What he fears takes place. Though he preaches half heartedly, the Ninevites repent, from the king on down to the animals in the marketplace. Jonah is aghast.

God choses his freinds freely. in this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus chooses disciples in the same vein.  It is the ultimate fish story.  The disciples do not choose Jesus; he goes fishing and hooks them.  To make his point, Jesus has them take their boats back out after a night of catching nothing.  (A bit humiliating taking advice from a land luber!!) They make the catch of their lives. Their nets are filled with fish. And Peter gets dramatic and drops to his knees,  “Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man.” Jesus grins at him and us. Go fish!

Church divisions today are often between hard liners and bleeding hearts.  Both have some of the truth.  The greatest obstacle to church unity is not from sinners who reject God, but from religious people who reject sinners.  Setting at the same table with low lifes and degenerates is tough on the “faithful.”  (Never liked using that word myself)  Holy Communion is not for those who follow the rules. It is food for the journey.  What a surprise that God loves a good fish story and will go to any lengths to reel in a single lost soul.

The real challenge of the Gospel is not to the wayward sons and daughters, but to the rest of God’s family.  To welcome sinners and love them as God loves them stretchs us.  Pope Francis  calls out for us to be the world’s MASH Unit, a “field hospital” for the lost. “LET THE CHURCH ALWAYS BE A PLACE OF MERCY AND HOPE, WHERE EVERYONE IS WELCOMED, LOVED AND FORGIVEN.” I want that on our front doors.

A gentle week,
Fr. MIchael Weldon, OFM