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 The Omnipotence  of  God  stirred  up  the  storm  at  sea,  and  instantly calmed it; made  the  lot  to  fall  on  Jonas,  sent  the  fish  to  swallow  him, kept him  alive  inside  it,  made  it  cast  him  up  on  dry  land,  and  caused the rapid  growth  and  as  rapid  decay  of  the  plant  which  gave  shelter to the  prophet. Everything is  in  the  hands  of  Almighty  God;  the  elements obey  Him,  and  the  animals  do  His  will.

The Goodness  and  Holiness  of  God.  God  loves  little  children,  because they  are  innocent,  and  have  not  committed  any  actual  sin; and for the  sake  of  them  He  had  mercy  on  the  whole  city.

The Justice  of  God.  God  punished  the  disobedience  of  Jonas  by stirring  up  the  storm  on  his  account,  by  letting  him  be  devoured  by the  fish  and  keeping  him  shut  up  inside  it  in  a state  of  mortal  fear.

The Mercy  of  God.  He  showed  His  mercy  to  Jonas  first;  and then to  the  Ninivites. “As I live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I desire  not the death  of  the  wicked,  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way  and live” (Ez.  33,  11).

The faith  and  repentance  of  the  Ninivites was  very  edifying. In spite of  the  wonderful  words  and  deeds  of  Elias,  most  of  the  Israelites had remained  impenitent. Then God  turned  to  the  Gentiles,  who showed more  good-will  and  faith  than  the  chosen  people. The Ninivites believed the  word  of  the  Lord  as  soon  as  the  prophet  announced  it to  them;  and  they  practised  penance  with  prayer  and  fasting  when  he quoted  his  own  miraculous  deliverance  as  a sign  that  God  had  sent him (Luke  11,  30). Our Lord  Himself  held  up  the  Ninivites  as  an example  to  the  hard-hearted  Israelites,  when  He  said:  “The  men  of Ninive  shall  rise  in  judgment  with  this  generation  and  shall  condemn it, because  they  did  penance  at  the  preaching  of  Jonas;  and  behold a greater than  Jonas  is  here”  (New  Test.  XXVII). How disgraceful would it  be  for  Christians  if  they  allowed  themselves  to  be  outdone in faith  and  penance  by  the  Ninivites!

True conversion. Jonas  sinned  by  refusing  to  obey  God’s  command. But he  saw,  confessed  and  repented  of  his  sin,  and  in  his  repentance declared himself  willing  to  suffer  death  by  drowning. His conversion was sincere; for  immediately  after  his  miraculous  deliverance  he  set  off for Ninive  to  execute  God’s  commission. The surest  proof  of  conversion is to  be  willing  to  do  God’s  will,  no  matter  how  hard  it  may  be.

Fasting is,  as  we  can  see  by  this  story,  a work  of  penance  well-pleasing to  God. Therefore the  Church,  in  order  to  kindle  and  increase our  ardour  for  penance,  has  prescribed  fixed  fasting  days.

The good  works  of  sinners.  The  Ninivites  were  not  in  a state  of grace  when  they  performed  their  good  works  of  prayer,  fasting  &amp;c., for  they  were  great  sinners. Nevertheless, these  good  works  were  not useless,  for  they  availed  to  avert  the  threatened  judgment,  and  to  win for  many  of  the  inhabitants  the  grace  of  conversion.