In today's first reading, Jonah 3: 1-10, Jonah is asked a second time--he refused the first time--to confront evil and to enter the city of Nineveh announcing that the city would be destroyed in 40 days. Jonah was afraid of being mocked, ridiculed, made fun of should the people heed God's warning, repent and that, then, God would withdraw his threat to destroy them and, instead show them His mercy.
There will be times when you and I will be asked, as Christians, to risk being ridiculed or mocked for taking a stance that is, to say the least, unpopular. The Spirit may ask us to confront an evil or walk away from an evil that our friends want us to engage in or in which we want to take part so as not to stand apart or not to be mocked. We will as disciples of the Lord find ourselves tempted to go against our conscience so that we will not look like fools for Christ's sake. God says to us in Dt. 30: 15-20: I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you...may live" and experience the fullness of life that Jesus promise. The choice is ours! Jesus shows us the way!
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