16th October. Jonah’s story. When she sat down and thought about it Mitzi realised that there is a bit of Jonah in all of us. The story tells us of a Jew sent by God to the people of Nineveh to call them to repent. He didn’t want them to repent, but to be punished for their wickedness.   Yet, after running away from God, who rescued him from being swallowed by a whale, he did eventually go and preach to the brutal people of Nineveh, and they did repent but due to God’s withholding his punishment.    How often have we heard people say things like, “He should rot in hell for what he has done to that innocent child.” The brutal reality of ISIS, HAMAS and any terrorist groups today, can be compared to the time of Nineveh and some is even taking place in the same part of the world. What is our response to the brutality of today, and do we ever condemn the brutal abuse of nature strongly enough? Will our faith in God’s generosity and Jesus’ salvation play a role in our actions?”  “We don’t seem to be following God’s way right now.”

Reflect, share, act. Scripture. Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation.  The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgement with this generation and condemn it for they, the men of Nineveh, repented at the preaching of Jonah.  From Luke 11:29-32. Pope Francis. Christians have not always appropriated and developed the spiritual treasures bestowed by God upon the Church, where the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body, or from nature or from worldly realities but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us.  What they all need is an ecological conversion whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ becomes evident in their relationship with the world around them.  LS216. Pray: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in us the fire of your love, so that walking together we may renew the face of the earth.