Wednesday of the First Week in Lent
“A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn,” cries our psalmist today. Let our cry for a contrite heart arise today, as well. Our readings today inspire me to think about the depth of my contrition for my sins. How humble am I? How contrite am I? On an imaginary scale of contrition, am I somewhat sorry, mostly sorry, sorry, very sorry, or extremely sorry? And if extremely sorry, can I say that I’m “sold out” in my contrition? How deep is my sorrow for my sins? In what ways does that sorrow compel me to respond to God?
In our first reading, God sends Jonah to Nineveh to call the people to repentance and to prophesy of their impending doom should they choose not to repent. Nineveh spanned a huge area! Jonah had only made his way to about one-third of the people when they ALL believed God, proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth. This was an incredible display of contrition by the masses! Imagine if one-third of the people throughout the Miami Valley heard a prophetic call and responded as one voice! But wait, there’s more! When the king of Nineveh heard the news, he immediately removed his royal robe, covered himself in sackcloth and sat in ashes. He issued a decree that all the people should cry out in prayer to God, and they and all the cattle and sheep should fast from food and water and be covered in sackcloth. This public display of repentance is beyond extraordinary!
Sackcloth was made of coarse goat’s or camel’s hair. It was designed to be extremely uncomfortable, so that the one who wore it engaged in a form of self-mortification. It was a symbol of repentance, grief or mourning, humility, and penance. Ashes signified desolation or ruin. Persons wanting to demonstrate their repentance would put on sackcloth, sit in ashes, and put ashes on their heads. Obviously, fasting is a penitent practice, as well.
Interesting that the king should make this proclamation. He was not a religious leader; he was a secular ruler. I find it incredible that the king would issue such an extreme decree, even requiring that the livestock participate in the ritual, as well. This is “sold out” contrition! Our text doesn’t tell us how long this particular communal fast and sitting in sackcloth and ashes lasted, but including the livestock would have economic implications for the people. An average steer on pasture gains between 2-4 pounds per day from grazing on grass alone. Lambs gain approximately one pound per day. When they’re not grazing, they’re not gaining and their market value declines. Depending on how long the fast went on, these animals would have lost considerable weight. This communal repentance required tremendous personal and economic sacrifice!
What does the response of the people in Nineveh say to us today? What might their witness inspire in us?
In the Gospel, the people have asked Jesus for a sign. He responds that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah. Jesus declares, “At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.” There is indeed something greater than Jonah here with us! He is our Crucified, Risen and Victorious Lord! Jonah and the king and people of Nineveh had a prophecy and a summons from God, which was mighty and significant. We have something much, much greater. We have the One who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. We have the One who walked the path to Calvary and died in agony for our sins. We have the One who was raised and ascended into heaven who sits at the Father’s right hand to intercede for us. We stand before this One, our precious Redeemer and Friend, who spreads a Eucharistic feast for us and bids us come. In the presence of this something, this Someone so much greater, how can we not fall to our knees in a humility and contrition much deeper and greater than that of the Ninevites?
How will we respond today to our wonderful, merciful Savior? “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful” (Joel 2:12-13). We may not sit in sackcloth and ashes, but what response would we make today to our good and merciful and gracious God who has forgiven us so much?
-Elizabeth Wells