Jonah... a name that immediately evokes the "whale" that swallowed Jonah, whole and entire. Jonah, before being tossed overboard during a powerful storm on the sea, was sound asleep, in the "belly of the ship!" A cowardly, hideous sleep. The captain of the ship goes down and awakens Jonah's conscience, thrusting him from the security of the lower depths of the hull into the depths of the sea, ending up in the darkness of the inside of the whale. Unlike Jonah, Jesus is NOT reluctant to follow God's call. Jonah ran away, tried to hide from God, sulking on the wharf, boarding the ship and going below board to be protected. Jesus goes right INTO the storms of our lives:
Sickness, Lonliness, Envy, Indifference, Fear, Depression, Addiction.
Jesus lives in the center of our storms, sound asleep, just as he slept on the wave-tossed boat with the frantic disciples. In prayer< we awaken the Christ within the depths of our hearts, like the depths of sea and whale, and with calming spirit, Christ calms the storm. All that disturbs our heart is banished, peace pours in, calm water prevail... if but for a moment. That moment we treasure in memory.