You have to really appreciate Jonah. If there is proof God can work through imperfect vessels, the story of Jonah has to be it. Cranky, reluctant, ill-tempered and clearly more than a little opinionated though he was, he still got the job done.

In today’s reading we read how Jonah’s mission of prophecy surprisingly, even shockingly, succeeded. The people of Nineveh actually listened to his message and they all repented. Immediately. Where else in scripture can we find the example of a prophet being heard? Nowhere. The usual cycle is God sends a prophet to proclaim what might happen if the people did not change the direction of their lives. Next we have the people continuing to do evil in the eyes of the Lord and this is followed by the death and destruction of the people and the city ignoring the message.

Even the king of Nineveh got the message and donned sackcloth and wallowed in ash. Who would have ever thought that might happen? Not Jonah. He did not want them to repent because he wanted to witness Armageddon rain down on the city.

Even though the story told is deadly serious, we can easily play it for laughs however we do so at the risk of missing the lessons we might learn for ourselves.

How easy is to not want to follow the call of the Lord? Oh so easy. Sometimes we just refuse his requests of us? Let’s see how this might happen.

God to me, “Here is my plan for you that will allow you to do my will and find joy and purpose in life.”

Me to God, “Sure thing, Lord but I need to do this, this, this and this first. These are all things I would really like to do.”

God to me, “So do it your way but if you go fishing, you might keep your eyes open.”

Me to God, “Sure thing. Hold my beer and watch this.”

Sometime later. Me to God, “Ok, God. I am listening. Will I be able to get my life back if I listen to you?” Later on still, “You want me to do what? Really? REALLY?? Are you sure? Ok, then, have it your way.”

And then, me to God, “What do you mean it worked? I was really in a snarky mood because of all this and I wanted someone to pay the price.”

So what is missing here? The answer is we are completely missing out on the joy of finding the purpose of life in His service. We learned this from St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, “A need in the world is met by deep joy in me.”

As for me, the real me, I will tell you that I was reluctant like Jonah. I had my own agenda, my own plans and I could not understand why trying to live out the life I sought brought me little joy beyond fleeting, momentary times of happiness. It was not until I was finally laid low by ego and reluctance to let go of self-created ideals that I finally began to find purpose. I choose not to be like Jonah. I wish to know the joy that comes from succeeding in what has been set before me by God as a challenge.

Lord, thank you for allowing us to laugh at Jonah that we might more clearly find the path you would have us follow.

I recently began to poke around the writings of Meister Eckhart, the 14^th century mystic and teacher who profoundly influenced my favorite theologian, poet and mystic, John O’Donohue. One of the first things to strike me was this citation:

People should not worry as much about what they do but rather about what they are. If they and their ways are good, then their deeds are radiant. If you are righteous, then what you do will also be righteous. We should not think that holiness is based on what we do but rather on what we are, for it is not our works which sanctify us but we who sanctify our works.

This seems to turn everything I have believed about righteousness upside down. Righteousness, the twin of holiness, in my mind, have always been unobtainable, an ultimate goal we seek through daily effort and prayer sought guidance from the Holy Spirit. We grow in righteousness by what we do, by changing our direction toward righteousness. This is still true, we are all works in progress, novices becoming more proficient at living the life intended for us. This is what we are taught about how to live a Christian life. Our journey begins with the first step that leads to him.

What Eckhart is asking, however, is for us consider who we are and to think of ourselves in that fashion. We are children of God who were created in his image and this grants us with the gift being drawn to him by nature. If we are the sons and daughters of God and if we are in his image and he is righteous, then we too are righteous. Of course we are not perfectly or completely righteous as is He but we have the facility to act in a righteous manner. We have the capacity to be holy.

Consider this. If we begin a race, at what point can we call ourselves a racer? If climbing a mountain, when can we claim to be a climber? The answer to both questions is we become a racer or climber when we prepare to race or climb. We make the decision to be a racer or climber and our actions validate us.

I recently had discussion with a man seeking to become a Benedictine Oblate. Circumstances will delay when he can officially begin his novitiate but I counseled him that he could gain all of the benefit and value of being an Oblate by calling himself a Benedictine, not by name but, rather by nature. I challenged him to learn what is expected of an Oblate and to begin the journey. The moment he declared his desire, he became Benedictine in all of the ways the matter. What will come later is what Meister Eckhart calls validation. He will become a novitiate and then an Oblate and he will then be able to call himself by those names but they will not change who he is but it will give what he has become a name and things which are named are known.

So it is for all of us who seek holiness. We are already holy or we would not have the capacity to act in a manner reflective of holiness. If we call ourselves holy and righteous, we will not feel hypocritical for claiming holiness in our actions so long as we are ever mindful of the source of all righteousness and all holiness. Such things could not spring out from us if God had not already planted so potential in our souls.

Thank you for creating us in your image that we may grow in holiness and righteousness as your servant children. Amen.