3rd Sunday Homily

The Sunday readings are the spiritual nourishment proposed by the Church, not only for the day, but also to the whole week. Last Sunday we meditated on the call, the vocation and today  the readings invite us to convert. Conversion is always seen as a conversion from evil to good, from violence to non-violence, from revenge to reconciliation, and so on. It is a social and popular language, commonly used by all the people of good will, and not to reserved to the Christians. For us Christians, we can not be satisfied with this language or politics of life. Our conversion is not reduced from our conversion from evil to the good as the others, but to God, the Eternal Sun, the source of all existence, to the fullness of the perfection of holiness. It is the story of prodigal son, coming home, back to God, our Creator.

In this conversion, we recognize our own divine identity and our perpetual connection with this Sun, the source of our light, the Light of the world, the Christ, sent by the Father. We recognize in ourselves that quality of the moon which receives its brightness from the Sun. As John of Baptist told us, we are called to proclaim that we are not the Light and we are only carriers of His Light. Our conversion, not of evil towards the good, rather to reduce our distance from the sun towards a proximity that the Incarnation has established among us, Emmanuelle, God-with-us.

Why this conversion is proposed? It's because God trusts us. Whether we recognize or not, God recognizes in us his presence and his divinity. He knew it that once the word is announced the people of Nineveh will get converted. And that's why He chose Jonah and one day Jonah will discover himself this mercy of God. Since God trusted in our humanity, He sent us His only begotten Son, not to judge us, but by Him that the world be saved, says Saint John. God continues to trust and He does not stop sending us Jonah.

Like Mary, who ran towards her cousin, we must rush towards all those who need us. If we wish that we be available to others, that our service to be worthy and true, we must purify ourselves and be united with God. 'If you want it, you can purify me',  we should learn to say it in certainty. Do not, especially not wait for tomorrow. Like the people of Nineveh, we must discover this mercy of God  and act upon immediately. In the humility and certainty of His love, we should invoke this divine mercy. He who knew to die for us, will come back once again to save us.

If He comes today, or now, are we worthy to welcome him into our hearts? He needs us and He calls us to transform us from an ordinary human being to be divinely human.  "Come after me" and I will make you strong and tall. Come and discover that I am full of love and mercy. Our response…………… is it positive or still meditating over this call to be with God?

We remember this mercy and divine tenderness and we cry to Him, saying, remember, Lord, your mercy and your promise. Help me Lord to recognize your way and your messengers. May I do no harm to your servants and receive them properly and in a dignified way. Once I am transformed, that I will be this Jonah, this Jeremiah, Peter and Paul. Send me Lord to this Nineveh to announce this Good News of your mercy and forgiveness. Amen.