Among the OT readings, the common thread on the first week of lent is penance. Jonah, the reluctant prophet was sent by God to pronounce judgment on Nineveh (part of modern-day Iraq,) a great city by any measure but also considered by many especially its enemy, evil and therefore, needed to turn to God. Jonah’s story is one of the most extraordinary story of repentance. Maybe I’m too naïve but I don’t know any place in the globe whose leader declared a day of penance for all his constituents including beasts. He just didn’t ask them to observe the day but actually, joined them in the ritual/penance service, down on his knees in sackcloth and ashes in front row seat while God’s fury was unleashed. And it’s because of a never-heard prophet who actually heeded God and set foot after the 2 ^nd try and preached the shortest homily by far (others may not have been shorter but the outcome is unmatched): forty- days- more- days- and- Nineveh- shall- be- destroyed. There’s something more in this eight word homily that’s nowhere be found in thousands of homilies written, published, and preached. Homily is not the words written on a page nor the delivery but the impact it generated on people’s lives. The message was very simple: if they don’t change their ways, the whole city will be wiped out. When God heard about it, he relented from the punishment he initially intended. Did he change his mind? Yes and that means, we can’t overstate the mercy of God. Although the words were threatening, you can never doubt that underneath this message of doom was a restorative path to God which goes along the same line with the sacrament of reconciliation. Amen.