March 12, 2014
No Sign Will Be Given Except the Sign of Jonah
It is easy to have religion (totems and taboos as Rohr says). it is quite a different thing to have faith. "Faith is the leap into the water, now with the lived experience that there is One who can and will catch you— and lead you where you need to go!”
I am sure I have heard sermons preached on the parallels between the experience of Jesus and that of Jonah. Jonah’s message was not delivered until after he gone through his period of darkness. Jesus certainly had a message but without him going through his period of darkness, it would only be a nice moral teaching and not the gospel.
Rohr quotes Soren Kierkegaard who said, “Life must be lived forward, but it can only be understood backward.”
Rohr’s prayer for the day is one that I should pray every day. “God of surprising journeys, help me to live my life forward, trusting that you are steering the ship. Help me to understand my life backward by seeing and forgiving the many ‘signs of Jonah.’”
Quotes from Rohr, Richard (2010-12-27). Wondrous Encounters: Scripture for Lent (p. 32). St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle Edition.
