by Jose Kurian Puliyeril

Gospel Reading : Jonah Chapter 2. Verse for Devotion: Jonah 2:7

In the second chapter of Jonah we could come across a number of prophecies of other prophets. In verse 3 we read, “For thou has cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas, and the floods compassed me about al thy billows and thy waves passed over me. The Psalmist says about such an experience. N Psalms 88:6 we read,” “Thou has laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. We do not come across another person other than Jonah, who was thrown to the deeps. In verse 4 we find the staunch faith of Jonah. He says “Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple”. Normally we place a lot of personal pleas and petitions when we worship God. God often replies to our petitions in three 1) yes, 2) No and thirdly wait. If we accept No or wait from God we wont be pleased on the spot. Reaction to such replies will be varied. Some will stop praying or going to Church. Other few get annoyed with God. We must think how Jonah could cry and pray to Lord God as soon as he was thrown to the deeps. The answer to such a question is very simple. Jonah, as soon as he reached the belly of the fish he realized his fault and he repented well. Only because of his repentance, he could pray with hope. He could pray quoting the Psalms. He was sure about the teachings of the Psalms. While uttering the prayer of verse 4, he must have remembered Psalms 31:22, where it is said “For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before your eyes: nevertheless thou hears the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee”. In Isaiah 49:14.we read, “But Zion said, The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me”. Jonah was in a similar situation. Still he did not get disappointed. He was hopeful of the salvation of his Lord God.

Now we come to the verse of devotion. (2:7) “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came in unto thee, into your holy temple”. In Psalms 18:6 we read, “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried into my God, he heard my voice out of his temple and my cry came before him, even unto his ears.” Again in Psalms 34:6 we read, “This poor man cried and the Lord heard him, and saved him, and saved him out of all his troubles” In Psalms 130:2, we read, Lord hear my voice; let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.” Again in Jeremiah 2:13 we read, “For my people have c omitted two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” What we learn from these Biblical verses? It is nothing else but when we have an understanding that we have been derailed from the way of God, we must turn back to God with real repentance and must seek His loving help. Our Lord is willing to forgive our sins of omissions and commissions.

Let us have a break on our further journey and turn back to our Lord God with full faith and hope. He will accept us with more joy, happiness as the father of the prodigal son. Let us make use of the Sacrament of Holy Confession and let us say like the prodigal son “Father I have sinned against you and heaven. Kindly forgive”. God is waiting for our initiative.