Homily: October 6, 2025, Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Jona's Escape)

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 “How could you do such a thing! They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD, because he had told them.”

Jonah, the prophet of God, didn’t want to follow God’s plan and tried to hide away from Him. How foolish of him! How could anyone think they could ever hide themselves from the Lord? In Psalm 139 we read: “If I take the wings of the dawn and dwell beyond the sea, even there your hand guides me, your right hand holds me fast.”

God is everywhere. He follows and watches over us, not because we are His prisoners but because He loves us. He stays close to us, not because He wants to control us but because He wants to guide us. He wants to be available for us when we call out to Him for help.

And of course, He has a plan for us to also be His messenger to help and save others. That was the plan He had for Jonah, but Jonah rejected the plan and tried to escape. Obviously, it did not work.

The story of Jonah shows us clearly what would happen when we try to go against God’s will or avoid it. Our conscience would be disturbed; we lose our peace. 

We are created by God and carry His breath of life within us. When we oppose Him, we are effectively opposing our inner being and causing an internal conflict within ourselves.

This month, dedicated to the Holy Rosary, we have a perfect role model in Mary, whose fiat, her total “yes” to God shows us that when we follow God’s will, even when it comes with hardship and suffering, there is peace, blessing and grace. Wherever Mary went, she was a source of joy, comfort, and hope. Truly, she is blessed and a blessing to all generations.

So, do we also try to oppose God’s plan or turn from His will? Or are we, like Mary, always ready to say, “Let it be done to me according to your word”?

May we always find peace and joy as we embrace God’s plan for us and submit to God’s will.

Amen.


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