25 February 2026 :: Wednesday of the 1st week of Lent
Homily
The prophet Jonah was sent by God to the pagans of the city of Nineveh. But he did not want this mission, and he fled to the city of Tarshish. This, as we know, led him and all his companions into a terrible storm. In the midst of this storm, he recognized his sin and accepted – even asked – to be thrown into the sea to calm God's wrath. It was then that he began an experience of solitude, symbolized by the time he spent in the belly of a large fish, before finally beginning his mission to preach a message of repentance. However, it was impossible for him to understand that a pagan city could convert to God; and when it did convert, he was upset. As we know from the rest of the story, God made him understand, through the image of the plant that grew in one day and died the next, that He had the same merciful love for the pagan city of Nineveh as He did for the people of Israel.