The Memorial of St Francis of Assisi

Jonah 1:1-2:1-11, Lk. 10:25-37. Most times, the human ways and attitudes do not always fall in line with God’s ways and the divine will. Today’s first reading and Responsorial Psalms relate the beginning of the story of Jonah. Jonah tries to flee from doing God’s will and ends up in stormy waters and in the belly of a aquatic animal, yet he prays and God heard his prayer. Jonah is asked to preach a message to the people of Nineveh - a “heathen” city to the northeast of the Holy Land. The sentiments of Jonah trying to avoid such a mission would have been very understandable to the formerly exiled people. Thus, Jonah sails on a ship to Tarshish. The fact that God would use a stormy sea to get Jonah’s attention and make him repent as a sign of God’s desire that the people have a true turning about. 

In today's Gospel, a Scribe acknowledges Jesus as a rabbi (teacher) and asks Him what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus asks the scribe a question about what is the greatest command. The Scribe responds by summarising all the laws into the two commandments of loving God with one’s whole being and loving one’s neighbour as one’s self. As Jesus relates the story of the Jewish man who encounters robbers on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, the crowd would have expected the neighbourly person to be one of the men of honour who are mentioned – the Priest or the Levite.  This is a significant representation, as not only that it was reminiscent of what Jonah did, in refusing to do something to save people in need, for his case, the people of Nineveh, while he could do so, but it also showed us that all of us are called to learn what true love actually means. St Francis of Assisi, whose memorial we celebrate learned the virtue of true love in his labours for the Church. Francis of Assisi, the renowned founder of the Order of Friars Minor, better known as the Franciscans, was a great saint who dedicated much of his life in service to God and to his fellow men. St Francis of Assisi is a great role model for all of us to follow, in how we should be willing to reach out to our brethren in need and to do God’s will.

May the Lord stay with us and with everyone we meet this week and help us to build a just and peaceful society! Amen!! Good morning and have a productive week!!!