I continue to look for a church here in Seattle, where I feel "at home." I've gone to several so far, and starting to feel a little more "at home" at St. Anne's.
It's in the Queen Anne neighbor hood we love, not too big and not too cramped. The father has great homilies every mass, and today was no different.
The message— of Jonah and the Whale(see below), which the Father was talking about— really hit home after Chris and I had dinner with our neighbors last night. They are in their late 30's/early 40's, and have two young kids. We have recently started to get to know them more and are having a great time meeting new people here in Seattle—which was hard for a while.
As we were talking last night, the topic of the "Seattle Chill" came up. As we are both "transplants" here, we were on the same page and are used to the "Southern Hospitality." But there seems to be this unspoken coldness from Seattlelites. Be it they are mad at the world because 'it rains all the time', which it really doesn't, so get over it; you're not in their inner circle or haven't known them for at least the last 10 years; you're not hipster cool or wear the right amount of North Face gear; or you dress 'too nice'; honestly, this list goes on.
The friends that we have made here are actually nice and outgoing, which surprises us—Why is there still this "Seattle Chill?" We continued to talk about this topic for awhile. We felt at east and comfortable knowing that other people felt the way we did.
Jonah and the Whale
Jonah found this order unbearable. Not only was Nineveh known for its wickedness, but it was also the capital of the Assyrian empire, one of Israel's fiercest enemies. Jonah, a stubborn fellow, did just the opposite of what he was told. He went down to the seaport of Joppa and booked passage on a ship to Tarshish, heading directly away from Nineveh. The Bible tells us Jonah "ran away from the Lord."
In response, God sent a violent storm, which threatened to break the ship to pieces. The terrified crew cast lots, determining that Jonah was responsible for the storm. Jonah told them to throw him overboard. First they tried rowing to shore, but the waves got even higher. Afraid of God, the sailors finally tossed Jonah into the sea, and the water immediately grew calm. The crew made a sacrifice to God, swearing vows to him.
Instead of drowning, Jonah was swallowed by a great fish, which God provided. In the belly of the whale, Jonah repented and cried out to God in prayer. He praised God, ending with the eerily prophetic statement, "Salvation comes from the Lord." (Jonah 2:9, NIV)
God commanded the whale, and it spit the reluctant prophet onto dry land. This time Jonah obeyed God. He walked through Nineveh proclaiming that in forty days the city would be destroyed. Surprisingly, the Ninevites believed Jonah's message and repented. God had compassion on them and did not destroy them.
Again Jonah questioned God, because Jonah was angry that Israel's enemies had been spared. When Jonah stopped outside the city to rest, God provided a vine to shelter him from the hot sun. Jonah was happy with the vine, but the next day God provided a worm that ate the vine, making it wither. Growing faint in the sun, Jonah complained again.
God scolded Jonah for being concerned about a vine, but not about Nineveh, which had 120,000 lost people. The story ends with God expressing concern even about the wicked.
Jonah learned a valuable lesson about selfishness and loving everyone no matter what.
I feel like that relates to life in so many ways. I feel like there are a lot more Judgemental Jonah's out there then there should be. There is still so much discrimination and sexism out there, for no reason. Are we all really still that dumb and naive? We can't be. We are all here for a reason. Why should we treat anyone less then us? We all deserve to be here.
And whether you believe in God or not, I think there needs to be more understanding and compassion in the world, like God had compassion for the people Nineveh. We are all Gods children and should be treated the same.
It all goes back to grade school: Treat others as you would like to be treated. If you don't, then don't expect the same respect in return. Enough with the Seattle Chill. Say "thank you" when someone holds the door open. It's really not that hard.
That's what God wanted—treat each other with respect— and that's what we should be learning ourselves, while teaching our kids and others around us.
I am glad my parents have taught me to have the faith I do, taught me to be the compassionate and understanding person I am. My faith continues to shape who I am and how I live my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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