The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
I can recall a moment in college when I was unexpectedly invited to do something that had never crossed my mind. It was a rainy day during winter break, and I was meeting with my campus minister for the first time. I had no idea what this meeting would hold, seeing that I had never met with my campus minister before that day. What started as a meeting over coffee turned into an invitation: setting out to share the Gospel on my college campus.
Of course, my initial reaction was to ask if I was worthy. I felt uncertain that I would be able to share the Good News because I was not perfect. I doubted I’d be a good fit, especially because my heart was still learning how to trust the Lord. But still, my campus minister extended this invitation to this mission. With this invitation she told me two things: the Lord has called me, and He will give me the words to say.
In today’s first reading, we see this unfold as God invites Jonah to journey to Nineveh. It’s not a mere suggestion to go. Rather, it’s a mission: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh and announce to it the message that I will tell you.” Though Jonah initially responds with fear after receiving God’s first invitation, he accepts the second invitation, trusting that the Father has laid out the path for Jonah’s feet and has provided the words to say. He goes, and “[he] had gone but a single day’s walk announcing… when the people of Nineveh believed God;”
A single day made all the difference for the people of Nineveh. A single moment of announcing God’s word brought the people of Nineveh closer to His heart. A single invitation from my campus minister allowed me to share the Good News with those I encountered on my college campus and my local community.
Are we not sent to do the same as Jonah, to announce the Gospel day by day? Maybe being sent to Nineveh means going to another country to share the Gospel, or maybe it is sharing it in our workplace and local community. Day by day, the Lord lays out the path for us to walk and gives us the message to proclaim. He has given us our mission, our destination, and His Word. Set out, and share the Gospel.
Chrysta Joy Jaucian is a student physical therapist, singer, and missionary from Houston, Texas. She serves with Adore Ministries, a ministry seeking to know, love, and serve God by serving teens and families along the local margins. Chrysta loves drinking coffee, sharing laughter, and finding Jesus in the ordinary.