Day 8: Here I Am Lord, Send Me
Jonah comes to us as an important figure in salvation history.
“Jonah the Prophet.” Click the image to see the day’s reflection.
A reluctant God-bearer, his discernment process wailed in him through much inner turmoil. He was a good man—just unsure of himself, and who he was before God. After accepting the unrelenting call of the Lord, he laid down his armor of fear and doubt and picked up the armor of God. He was chosen, and like many of those chosen as messengers, it took a while for him to realize that God had his back.
We are called to trust and believe that what we know of God is infinitesimal compared to what God is and has yet to reveal. A Jesuit impressed on me that trying to understand God is like standing at the ocean and attempting to drink it with a spoon.
The mystery and awe of God transforms me moment by moment. Jonah, bearer of spirit and truth, went to Nineveh. Beyond his knowing, he carried a message evident not only in his talk and his walk, but his very being. He bore the spirit and truth of his own salvation. People came, saw, heard and believed. The mercy of God came upon them, and they were saved.
In this time of unveiled unrest and injustice, particularly in our urban cities, the messengers of God must be realized. By his grace we will know them. Emmanuel.
Reflection Questions
- When do I hear the voice of the Lord?
- Within my sphere of influence, how to I model the life of Christ and the call to salvation?
- When I pray, am I praying to and from the Christ in me to recognize and behold the Christ in another?
Toni Moore- Duggan is an educator and spiritual director. She is a member of St. Ignatius Catholic Community in Baltimore where she sits on the St. Ignatius Racial Justice Forum and Racial Justice subcommittee. She is on the faculty of the Caroline Center.
Thanks for passing on the “wisdom” of the Jesuit who likened trying to understand God is like standing at the ocean and attempting to drink it with a spoon. Somehow, it is a relief! It helps to bring back into perspective that each and everyone’s relationship with God is specific and unique to that individual.
A beautiful message! It can be so hard to be a model for the spiritual in today’s culture. Also, I love that sculpture of Jonah..