God Wants our Conversion, not our Punishment

3rd Sunday B – 1st Reading
Jonah 3:1-5,10

“When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out” (Jon.3:10).

King Clorain was betrayed by an unfaithful wife. As a result, he became harshly distrustful of all women. So he decides, being king that every day will marry a wife, but in the morning he will have her killed. Finally, he marries a clever woman named Scheherazade. She is quite determined to keep her head on, and that the cycle of death should be broken. Each evening as they retire, she tells the king a fascinating story. But toward the end she grows so tired that she just can’t finish the story and she falls asleep, leaving the king in high anxiety and quite beside himself until he can hear the rest of the story the next day. So, of course he puts off her death. But each evening she starts another fascinating story. And so it goes for 1001 nights. In this long process, Scheherazade changes and so does the king. He works through his disgust with life and his hatred for women. And she falls in love with him (From: World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers vol. II by William J. Bausch).

Aren’t you wondering why in spite of all the wrongs and bad things that we have done, we are still here? The answer is because God never stops being fascinated with us. God loves everyone and gives everyone a second chance. No matter what our sin is, God calls us to repentance.

This is what He did to the sinful Ninevites. He sent the prophet Jonah to tell the Ninevites to repent, otherwise in forty days, Nineveh will be destroyed. The Ninevites were pagans, treacherous people, and engaging in war. Yet, when they heard Jonah preached, they believed God and repented. Led by their king, they fasted, put on sackcloth, and turned from their evil ways. God was pleased with them. “When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out”(v.10).

The story of Jonah is the story of God’s compassion especially to those who listen and respond to His word. Father Buetow comments that the Ninevites gives us a model of true repentance in three stages. First of all, the acknowledgement of guilt by means of outward signs like fasting and putting on sackcloth. Secondly, they changed their attitude toward their fellow human beings in turning away from evil and violence. Lastly, they acknowledge God’s freedom in responding to their repentance. This means God acts as He pleases which may or may not conform to human expectations.

What God wants for us is conversion and not punishment. He continues to call us to repentance but unless we acknowledge our guilt, we would never have a change of heart. He does not need our defenses or excuses; He needs us to be humble and honest to admit our faults and short comings. He wants us to show sincere sorrow for all our sins by changing our attitudes and making the best out of the many second chances that He is giving us. And don’t forget, God’s love for us is constant that no amount of sin could stop Him from loving us. Let us be motivated by His love and not by fear of being punished. Let us allow God to fashion our hearts and rebuild ourselves in goodness.

-Fr. Nony