Lent of the Ninevites

Nineveh Lent is at hand.
It is a time of intense prayer, fasting and meditations. It is a
precursor to Great lent, which follows three weeks after three day's lent.

I would like to briefly throw light on the person of Jonah this time.
He is a peculiar character identifiable with most of us in many ways.
Yet any study about repentance without giving due credit to Jonah will
be inconclusive for he converted 120000 in one message.

First, he is historical person. He was son of Amittai (Mathai) of
Geth-hepher, near Nazareth and lived at the time of the reign of
king Jeroboam II, in 8th century B.C. He prophesied victory of
Jeroboam over Syria, 2K 14:25. Thus evidently prophet Jonah and the
book of Jonah are not mere fictions but real. Some people however
think it is a moral story. Many scholar critics have come up with
varying and contradictory interpretations, which are more confusing
than edifying and unnecessary for an ordinary believer. They pose
questions, is it possible for a whale to swallow a full-grown man
that too without causing any injury to the man? Can a man live in
the belly of a fish for three days and nights without breathing, let
alone without food and drink? May be, presence of a whale where
Jonah fell, possible but is it credible that a fish swims all the
way back to distant (1000 Miles) Nineveh? I believe these are
possible because Jesus described this incident as sign of his own
being in the tomb for three days. Barclay considers the use
of "three days and three nights" in Mathew 12: 41 an error, not the
words of Jesus but explanation of Mathew because Jesus did not
remain in the tomb exactly three days and three nights.
Historicity of Jonah is confirmed when Jesus compared himself with
Jonah and said he is greater than Jonah. Also rabbinical tradition
held Jonah in high esteem.  

Literally, Jonah means dove. Dove is famous for innocence. It is a
harmless bird. Its message is peace, Gen 8:9. It is symbol of Holy
Spirit. In the OT and until recently name carried certain meaning.
The name as a positive source of identification ought to reflect
character of the person who carries the name. That is not the case
anymore. People call their children glamorous but meaningless names.
No wonder, it is hard for the present generation relate themselves
to anything higher or to find meaning of role modeling and even
existence. Interestingly prophet Jonah is a contradiction to his
name because he does not reflect qualities of dove. Jesus desired
his disciples to have this quality of dove, Mat 10:16. We Christians
as disciple of Christ have lost the superb qualities of dove namely;
harmless and peace loving are also not different from Jonah.
He was a rebel who rebelled against God. He received a commission
from God to go to Nineveh, a neighboring country. Nineveh was a
heathen nation. Wickedness of Nineveh was so terrible that righteous
God could no more tolerate. Was it more horrifying than the
wickedness of these days; is food for thought. Jehovah decided to
destroy them. Fairness is God's immutable quality. He decided to
offer them a chance to repent and turn away from their sins. And
that was the commission of Jonah. Should he not feel elated that God
of the universe called him for a great mission? Instead, he rebelled
and disobeyed. He claimed he had a reason to do so. He knew God
was "gracious, merciful, slow to anger, of great kindness and
repents of the evil," v4: 2.

He wanted a revenging, not a repenting God. In other words, his god
should act exactly as he wanted. He is model of the fallen humanity.
How true a thinker said, "God created man in His image but man created
gods in his image." Man creates his own gods to satisfy his own
egotist quests. No one has difficulty to pray or obey God so long as
God meets his/her demands. People deny and rebuke God forgetting all
the blessings the moment a calamity strikes unawares. This ingratitude
is satanic, not divine quality.
Israel as a nation rebelled many times against God. Even while meat
was in their mouth during the sojourn they murmured against God and
His prophet Moses. God punished them by making them wander in the
wilderness for forty years until the whole generation was consumed.
When they enjoyed the pleasurable bounties of Canaan they forgot
Jehovah who delivered them from the Egyptian bondage with mighty
deeds. Yet, they turned to wickedness, fornication, corruption and
idolatry despising God, Isaiah 1:2. God punished them in His wrath,
pestered with sickness, enslaved to foreign rulers and desolation in
the land.
 
Another flaw with Jonah is that he gets angry with God for his
selfish reasons. There was enough reason for him to rejoice. He
preached in Nineveh "Nineveh will be destroyed in forty days," v3:
4. They believed in God. The king and entire nation fasted three
days, repented and turned back from the wickedness. Outright
conversion of 120,000 people in a singe message! There is no
parallel for this event in the whole of human history. Unimaginable
and unexpected, cent-per-cent, success of a mission he took up with
high reluctance! And yet he is angry and depressed to the point of
death, because God repented and put away the destruction. God gave
him a chance to think if it were reasonable for him to get angry.
His anger was so intense that nothing other than destroying Nineveh
came to his mind. He waited to see it. God was merciful to teach him
a lesson even through his crisis. We are familiar with
televangelists, miracle healers, and who offer cheep grace, during
the course of their gospel-show, require the `unsaved' audience to
commit to Jesus. Some people come forward, stand in the isle and
declare their commitment to Jesus. The speaker instantly announces
that they are saved. Then these `saved' as well as the `saviors' go
back to their old routine. But Nineveh-people were different. They
fully repented, thoroughly forsook their wicked ways and adopted
entirely righteous style of life. It is the life in action and not
mere words that made God to show grace and compassion, v3: 10.
Now, anger is not bad in itself. It is an emotion that God has given
to humanity to serve certain purpose and when anger is used out of
place and out of proportion it becomes destructive. Anger as an
attribute of God is seen throughout the Bible. The living God is
also active to execute His moral laws in Israel. Infidelity,
unbelief, rebellion, immorality, idolatry, human pride, etc are
reasons, which ignite God's anger. Righteous God wants His people
also live in righteousness. When man fails to meet the divine
standards God punishes them. Great deluge at the time of Noah,
confusion at Babel tower, destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,
destruction of Northern kingdom of Israel, various pestilences,
failure in wars, slavery, are a few examples. Jehovah is spoken as
consuming fire. It may kindle against a nation, a tribe or even a
person. Jesus also got angry with the moneychangers. These are known
as righteous anger. God averts His anger upon petition, e.g.
intercession of Moses for Miriam, for Israel, Jobs intersession for
his friends, etc.

There is another type of anger, which is not righteous. Human anger
is a passion often let out for wrong reasons. Bible warns against
human anger. "Do not incite others into anger," Pr 6:34. "Do not
yield to anger oneself," Pr 19:19. "Be angry and do not sin, do not
let the sun go down in your anger, Eph 4:26. Anger of God rests upon
those who rejects His Son, Jn 3:36. There is a day of wrath for
those who live in sin and reject the message of salvation, Rom 3:5.
A baffling question is how silly and foolish was Jonah to think that
he could escape from God. Did he not know that God was omniscient?
Had he not read Ps 139, which says, "Where can I flee from your
presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed
in hell, behold, You are there," v8, 9. I surmise that he knew all
these but was blinded by his ego. Egoist relegates everyone else to
second position for he alone is important for him. Ego is a very
grave feeling of inferiority, conceit and self-comfort, which is
root of most problems in the society.

I wrote these for study sake and learn how to avoid such failures of
Jonah and remedy them in our daily walk with God,

love, Johnachen.

Lent of the Ninevites

The 3 day Lent is the shortest canonical lent in the Orthodox
Calendar.  Some history and related information below.

How many of us know that this tradition originated in the Catholicate
of the East? Even according to the account of Bar Ebraya, the
tradition of three day fasting originated in the East.
This Church divided in to two due to doctrinal issues after Chalcedon
(AD 451). But, both sides continued the fasting tradition. Later the
Coptic, Ethiopian and Armenian Churches adopted the tradition.
Following Churches keep this tradition today:

Assyrian Church of the East - Catholicos-Patriarch of the East
Chaldean Catholic Church of the East - Catholicos-Patriarch of the
East.
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church - Catholicate of the East.
Antiochian Syriac Orthodox.
Armenian Orthodox.
Coptic Orthodox.
Ethiopian Orthodox.
Eritrean Orthodox.

The Antiochian Orthodox (i.e. Greek section) and other Western
churches do not follow this tradition. In the Church of the East, the
fasting days are known as 'Baouta d' Ninewaye' (Baouta (Syr.) -
supplication, Supplication of the Ninevites). The Eastern
tradition: "There was a pestilence, which is called in the world
"the plague", which took place at one time in the kingdom of the
Persians, in these our lands, during the days of Mar Sabrisho`, the
metropolitan-bishop of Beit Slokh. It came about because of the
multitude of men's sins, almost consuming and bringing to an end
all the men of Beit Garmai, of Assyria, and of Nineveh.

When Mar Sabrisho` prayed to God because of the rod of wrath
which was destroying his flock he heard the voice of an angel
saying, "Proclaim a fast and make petition, and the pestilence
will be removed from you." At once this holy man commanded that the
people of the Lord should assemble with him in all their ranks at the
house of the Lord; and on the first day of the petitioning, which was
a Monday, the hand of the destroying angel drew back, and no one was
smitten. (Source: cired.org - Official website of Assyrian Church of
the East)

The hymns of St. Aprem are used as supplication. Mar Aprem wrote
homilies on the repentance of Nineveh.
Nineveh was an important center of Eastern Christians. Many of us
know about St. Issac the Syrian (also knows as St. Issac of Nineveh).
Mar Isahac was a monk, who was ordained the bishop of Nineveh city.
He was ordained a Bishop in . Just five months after ordination he
resigned the position and remained a hermit and went to seclusion as
a monk in a monastery in the mountains. Interestingly the Eastern
Orthodox Church includes the name of St. Issac in the calendar.
Perhaps this is because the Syrian Church of the East had adopted the
council of Chalcedon at that point.

It was only in AD 486, in the fourth general Synod of the Church of
the East (Synod of Acacius), that they officially adopts Nestorian
Christology. In AD 544, the sixth general Synod of the Church of the
East (Synod of Mar Aba I) adopted the creed and decrees of the
Council of Chalcedon. This explains why Mar Issac of Nineveh, who was
ordained a Bishop in AD 670 by Catholicos Mar Gewargis, is included
in the Greek Orthodox calendar. His Ascetical works are a great
inspiration today. He wrote about 91 homilies, which can be read here:
http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/instructions/isaac.shtml

Churches were united before the 5th century, and even after Chalcedon
for a period. That is why we see a tradition of the Eastern Church
adopted by sister Churches, and church fathers included in the
calendar of sister churches. It happened because of the unity that
existed at that time, which actually is because of the deep spiritual
influence of some of the impartial fathers who lived at that time.

Thomas P.
 
 

Nineveh Fast Reading

Reading - 2nd Day

Jonah 2:1-10 (New International Version - UK)

Jonah 2
Jonah's Prayer
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.

2 He said: In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the
depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.

3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the
currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.

4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again
towards your holy temple.'

5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was
wrapped around my head.

6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in
for ever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.

7 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose
to you, to your holy temple.

8Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have
vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.

10And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

St. Mary's Starts Work and Employment Ministry

Church Starts FAITH WORK Ministry

Work is an expression of our dignity and our involvement in God’s creation.  In this time of economic crisis, as more and more people are losing their jobs, it is harder for individuals to express this dignity. It is increasingly hard for individuals to pay their bills, provide shelter for their families, and generally make ends meet.  The latest data released by the State of Indiana shows that unemployment in Marshall County is 12 percent and rising. To help families in the surrounding area, St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Community, 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana, announces the formation of a new faith based ministry called FAITH WORK.  Because of the rapidly changing employment market and St. Mary’s desire to assist the entire community, the church is establishing Job Support groups at the church and will also have computers available to individuals to use to file unemployment claims and do job searches.   This is a positive process that deals with the universal problem of employment.

St. Mary’s is one of the Indiana faith-based community organizations which Workforce Development will supply computers and training to assist individuals file their unemployment claims and their weekly reports.  Indiana officials hope this new initiative will help reduce the long lines at unemployment offices across the state and cut down on the number of mistakes made by people applying online for benefits. Indiana residents will be able to uses the computers at the church and at other community organizations, and receive extra help in completing their claims.  The state’s stated goal is to give workers more convenient options.

St. Mary’s program is open to all area residents, both those of faith and those of no faith. There are no limitations on those participating in the program. Its mission is to work with all who are unemployed, underemployed, or seeking career changes.  The support groups will provide practical job seeking skills, career information, technology, and support and mentoring to participants.  The program supports the pursuit of work and fair wages.

The program is also looking for volunteers within the community to work with participants, helping craft resumes, develop interviews skills, mentoring and providing spiritual support.  Computers will be used for job searches, filing weekly unemployment claims, creating and printing resumes, and developing new job skills.

For more information about the FAITH WORK ministry or to volunteer or donate to the program at St. Mary’s, please call Father Theodosius Walker at 574-540-2048, or 574-952-4671, or email the church at monastery@synesius.com.

The community is under an allegiance to the hierarchy of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church under His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas and the Catholicose of India, His Beatitude Baselios Thomas I. St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Community is located at 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana. The local church’s bishop is Mar Cassian Lewis of Columbus, Ohio. For more information, please contact the pastor Father Theodosius Walker at (574) 952-4671.

Nineveh Fast

Reading for 1st Day

Jonah 1:1-17 (New International Version)

Jonah 1
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great
city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up
before me."
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to
Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he
went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm
arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid
and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to
lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep
sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and
call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."

7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out
who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on
Jonah.

8 So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this
trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your
country? From what people are you?"

9 He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the land."

10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he
was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)

11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should
we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"

12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become
calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."

13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not,
for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the LORD, "O
LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us
accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you
pleased." 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging
sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered
a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.

17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was
inside the fish three days and three nights.

The Significance of the Nineveh Nombu for us today

Dear all in Christ

Although the least in terms of the number of days of fast,
the "Nineveh Nombu" is one of the most important fasts in the Syrian
Orthodox Church tradition.

Fasting is meant to be a sign of our giving up of our ego
or `selves' for the sake of others. They are, in other words,
occasions of self-emptying or `kenosis' of which the supreme example
is Jesus Christ himself (Phil.2).

Prayer and fasting are two cardinal corner stones of a Christian
life. The what , the why and the how of prayer and fasting are
clearly explicated in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt.6). Prophet Isaiah
brings home to us the concrete manifestation of a genuine spiritual
life, itself rooted in prayer and fasting.

Exposing the hypocrisy and the pseudo-spirituality of the people of
his time, the prophet challenges them to observe lent and fasting
the way God wants them to observe it:

Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
And to strike with a wicked fist
Such fasting as you do today
Will not make your voice heard on High
Is such the fast that I choose
A day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush
And to lie down in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast
A day acceptable to the LORD?

Is not this the fast that I choose
To loose the bonds of injustice
To undo the thongs of yoke
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless to your house
………(Is.58:4-7)

Fasting is an occasion for us to live through the pain of poverty and
starvation. For most of us, fasting has become an easy option
of `dieting', which many of us do need to shed the extra kilos that
gain, given that we all live in a consumerist society such as
today's. As my own spiritual guru, the late lamented Yakoob Mar
Themotheose thirumeni, taught me, fasting should enable us to feel
the pain of hunger, which, in turn, will make us compassionate to
the poor and the hungry. Unfortunately, we have lost this dimension
of serving the poor some where along the lines. May this time
of "Moonu Nombu" be a time for us to reclaim and recover this lost
sense of charity and compassion towards the less privileged and the
needy among us.

The story of Jonah has many lessons for us. Let me highlight just
one of them here. All human beings have some sense of pride and ego
within themselves- a false sense of prestige. Prophets were no
exception to this rule- Jonah certainly wasn't one. He knew that his
obeying God's commandment to preach in Nineveh had some risks
involved with it. He knew quite well that his God was a
compassionate God. He was asked to bring the message of God's anger
and wrath onto the people of Nineveh. He knew that when people would
regret their ways of living and return to the LORD, they would be
forgiven and redeemed. It happened exactly the way he `feared'. For
Jonah it was a matter of great disappointment.

His ego was hurt, his `name' affected and pride shaken. He wanted
God to punish the people as he had prophesied so that `his' words
would come true. But God thinks and acts beyond our perceptions and
calculations. Jonah was much more concerned about his prophecy being
fulfilled than God's compassion towards the people and their
welfare. It is a clear case where even prophets get their priorities
wrong. This, in fact, is a grave temptation for all of us,
especially for those who work in the vineyard of the LORD- a desire
to keep our `selves' in tact, to get our predictions right, even at
the cost of the ruin of others around us. We should always strive
for the wellbeing of others even if it comes at the expense of our
pride and name.

This is the challenge of all feasts, especially the Nineveh Nombu,
to risk ourselves for the sake of the gospel and Christ,
particularly for the poor and the downtrodden in whom Christ can be
encountered in our daily lives.

May God have mercy upon us, be gracious to us, and accept the fast of the
Holy Church, as HE accepted the fast of the people of Nineveh and spared
them.

Koorilose Thirumeni

Be watchful and alert!

Nineveh fast is the shortest of all fasts.  However, it is observed
rigorously.  Referring to the seeking of signs of the scribes and
Pharisees, Jesus said ". . . no sign will be given to it except the
sign of Prophet Jonah" (Mathew 12: 39-42).  This has reference to the
death and burial of Jesus Christ and that Jesus will be in the tomb
for three days.

The Nineveh fast probably originated in Urhoy (Edessa) in the third
century and spread to other places.  Mor Aphrem, the Syrian (d. 373)
and Jacob of Sarug (d. 522) have composed poetry about the Nineveh
fast.  The Nineveh fast is a preparation to the fifty day fast.

The book of Jonah should be read and meditated on these days.  Jonah
declared that Nineveh will be overthrown in forty days.  The King of
Nineveh proclaimed a fast and he himself covered with sackcloth, and
sat in ashes.  The people of Nineveh, beast, herd and flock observed
the fast with all severity.  We read in prayers that they did not
even feed their babies.  The children were asking their mothers about
when they will die?  God was pleased with their penitence. Thus, God
had compassion on them and withdrew the punishment.

Christian is like the Nineveh. He / she must turn away from the wicked ways and repent. Our life is like a ship (Church).  We will have to throw away the luggage of "evil things" into the sea (world/flesh) and save our life.  

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through the
dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, I will
return to my house from which I came.  And when he comes, he finds it
empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him
seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and
dwell there, and the last sate of the man is worse than the
first . . ." (Mathew 12:43-45).  

Unless there is full-hearted repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, the expelled demon will return with many others and reoccupy its abode.  

So be watchful and alert!  

Fr. Mani Rajan