Ash Wednesday

Last year’s living palm branches have been left to dry, to die, and then ground into today’s ash.

The death of what was marks a new beginning for what will be. And this beginning is born in and through us, today. This is a symbol of the great truth, that today’s beginning simply catapults off of yesterday’s ending.

An ancient parable for reflection.

The word of the Divine came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city Nineveh and cry out against it, because its wickedness has risen and met me face to face.”

But Jonah ran away from the Divine and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Divine.

The beginning for Jonah was an invitation to bring a message to the people of Nineveh, which is the capital of Assyria. Assyria was an empire that had viciously and ruthlessly attacked and brought utter calamity to Jonah’s people, Israel.

It is not until the end of the story that we discover the reason why Jonah initially bolted from the invitation. The people of Nineveh will eventually receive the message Jonah was to bring to them, and they fully embrace it. They confess their chaos and turn to the Divine.

When the Divine saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, the Divine relented and did not bring on them the destruction that had been threatened to them.

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Divine, “Isn’t this what I said when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Seriously Jonah? The Ninevite people have owned their mess and have taken the first step in living anew, and yet you find this unacceptable? You don’t want them to get God do you? You want them to get theirs… which is to say that you simply want for their demise and destruction, correct?

The only way for Jonah to live, to begin his calling, is to bring an end to his hatred for the Assyrians.

And in order for Jonah to die to his hatred, he must accept and receive the matchless love of the Divine.

To receive Love and give Love, is to Live.

And Jonah’s response is, “take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Bitterness. Hate. Vengeance. Until Jonah learns to acknowledge all of this death within him, then he will never truly live.

So as we begin this season of Lent, on this Ash Wednesday…

What within us needs to die, so that we may live?