Your signs are Jonah and Nineveh — harden not your hearts

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

A reflection on the daily readings for Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time, by Father Perry.

+ My goodness, Paul; when you write a letter your introduction is like a cascade of superlatives that describe, describe, describe who you are, why you are, what you are to do, who it is to be done for, and what it all means

+ And it centers so profoundly on the Christ.

And so your introduction includes word after word with such richness: “slave of Christ.” “Apostle.” “Promised.” “Prophet.” “Descended.” “Established.” “Power.” “Holiness.” “Resurrection.” “Grace.” “Obedience.” “Faith.” “Belong.” “Beloved.”

In this litany of words, pregnant with so much meaning, you introduce yourself, the Gospel, faith in the Lord, invitation, promise, hope, and eternal life.

+ So the very familiar phrase echoed in the alleluia verse screams out through the canyons of our minds and hearts: “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts!”

+ The funny thing today is in the Gospel, as Jesus holds up Jonah as the sign that was given. He speaks of Jonah as if Jonah was the ultimate prophet.

While true that the Ninevites heard and did not harden their hearts — and while Jonah was only on the first part of the first day of his three-day hike through Ninevah (that’s how big the city was) and not even completing his first day — the king all the way down to each animal heard and repented and was saved.

But Jonah?!

+ The same Jonah that ran away from God going in the opposite direction, boarding a ship on his way to “escape God-land,” and the prophet who had to be eaten then spewed from the mouth of a whale and literally be spat upon the ground of Ninevah. Who complained, complained, complained. That same Jonah? He is the sign? He delivered for God?

+ Well, another case of “take the lowliest” and the least expected and the obviously flakey and faulty one. And the most stubborn and least cooperative and shake it all together to get success! Unbounded success! God success!

+ Your sign is Jonah! Your sign is Ninevah! Please! Harden not your hearts!

Father Perry D. Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.