When you are at fault against your parents, feeling bad. You are afraid of losing their love. Sometimes you procrastinate, but you want forgiveness. You want, that your parents may show you understanding, that they would forgive you. You are also aware of your faults with God and you desire, for God to forgive you. Other people think and feel similarly. Everyone wants forgiveness. They believe, that they receive them. On what is this belief of people based ?
The story from the book of Jonah
God teaches us about His mercy in the story contained in the Book of Jonah.
In ancient Assyria, in the city of Nineveh, people lived, who were not Israelites. Although they were not the chosen people, they sinned greatly, God decided to show them His mercy and save them from destruction. To this end, he sent the prophet Jonah to Nineveh, that he would call them to conversion. The Prophet Jonah went there against his will, because he did not want to convert Nineveh and save her from destruction. When at the prophet Jonah's call, the people of Nineveh began to repent, “God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wrongdoing, and God had mercy on woe, which he decided to bring on them, and he didn't send her " (Jon 3, 10).
Jonah, however, was not satisfied with mercy, that God showed to the people of Nineveh. The book of Jonah tells pictures, how God convinced the prophet of the rightness of his forgiveness :
“Jonah is out of town, it stopped on its eastern side, there he made a shelter for himself and sat down in the shade, to see, what will happen in the city. God caused, that the ricinus bush grew over Jonah for this, that a shadow would be over his head and that he would take away his bitterness. Jonah was very happy with this bush. But at dawn the next day, God sent a worm, to damage the bush, so that it withered away. And then, as the sun rose, God sent hot, east wind. The sun beat Jonah on the head, so that it weakened. So he wished himself death and spoke : "It is better for me to die than live". God said to Jonah : «Are you rightly indignant about this bush? ?»He replied : "I am rightly angry to death". God said : «You feel sorry for the bush, which you have not grown and grown, who grew up during the night and died during the night, and shouldn't I have pity on Nineveh?, big city, where there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people ? »” (Jon 4, 5-11). In the story of Jonah, God reveals, that he is merciful to all people, and not only for the chosen people.
God reveals mercy in the history of Israel
Your mercy, which he showed in the story of Nineveh, God revealed most of all in the history of the chosen people. Moses calls Him "merciful and compassionate.", patient, rich in grace and faithfulness " (Wj 34, 6), because God forgave the Israelites, who have sometimes failed to keep their covenant with God. When they sinned, God Himself summoned the chosen people to conversion, that he might show him mercy.
"I do not want the death of the wicked, but only that, that the wicked turn away from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways ! Why do you want to die?, the house of Israel?” (This 33, 11).
When he sent down punishments on them and seemed to the Israelites, that God had forsaken them forever, reminded them : “I abandoned you for a brief moment, but with great love I will take you. In anger, I hid my face from you for a short time, but in everlasting love I have compassion on you, God says, your Redeemer " (From 54, 7-8).
God fully reveals His mercy in Jesus Christ
God's mercy was most perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ, throughout his life, and especially in his passion, death and resurrection. God himself tells us about it in the words of St.. John the Evangelist : “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, to everyone, who believes in him, he did not die, but he had eternal life " (J 3, 16). Through Jesus Christ, we have been forgiven for our sins, we have received God's mercy and we can keep asking for it.
How will I answer God ?
On the third Sunday in ordinary time (year B) God addresses us with the words of the Mass reading from the Book of Jonah. It reminds us of the mercy we experienced in the past and calls us today to trust and conversion. You should be thankful to God for that. You can express it in the words of a psalm :
“God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and very gentle.
How a father pities his sons, so God has pity on these, who fear him. And God's love is everlasting to His worshipers, and his righteousness to sons of children, over these, who keep his covenant and remember, to keep His commandments” (Ps 102, 8.13.17-18).
Think every evening, have you not committed the covenant with God, and trustingly ask Him for forgiveness. Or maybe you will tell someone in despair about a merciful God ?
■ Think :
1. O czym Bóg nas poucza w opowieści zawartej w Księdze Jonasza ?
2. Jak Bóg objawił swe miłosierdzie w historii narodu wybranego ?
3. W kim najdoskonalej objawiło się miłosierdzie Boże ?
4. W jakim celu w trzecią niedzielę zwykłą (year B) we read Jonah's prophecy ?
■ Remember:
55. Czego pragnie miłosierny Bóg ? Merciful God wants to save all people.
56. Przez kogo miłosierny Bóg przebacza nam grzechy ?
Merciful God forgives our sins through Jesus Christ.
■ Task :
1. Znajdź w Piśmie św. examples of God's mercy.
2. Czy potrafisz być miłosierny i przebaczyć twoim winowajcom ?