Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
(Jonah 1:1-2:2.11; Luke 10:25-37)
A few years ago a leading Catholic university removed the
crucifixes from its classrooms. Having a
multi-ethnic student body, the university administration reasoned that the
crucifixes might offend students of other religious traditions. One Muslim student, however, was bothered by
the removal. After all, he asked, what
kind of guest would he be if he could not respect the symbols and artifacts of his
hosts’ religion? Eventually after a
public outcry, the crucifixes returned to the classrooms.
The Book of the Prophet Jonah similarly testifies to
people from other religious traditions showing greater sensibility to God than the
Jewish prophet. Jonah, the Jew, is
disgusted with the Lord for his parallel love of other peoples. He flees when God commands him to preach in
the city of Nineveh, Israel’s captors. In
his flight the heathen sailors on the ship that transports Jonah show more
regard for the Lord than he. They pray
to God for help and shudder to think that their act of appeasement may not please
God.
We find Jesus making a similar point in the gospel. He describes the Samaritan who comes to the
aid of the dying stranger as giving God greater witness than the priest and
Levite who would not touch him. We are
wise to recognize the Holy Spirit working among different peoples and religions
just as surely as it lavishes graces upon us.
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