Deacon Jim Olson’s Homily
February 15, 2021
335 2-15-21 6th WOT Mark 8:11-13
Let us open our hearts to Jesus and the sign that He has given all mankind. Was Jonah really three days & three nights in the belly of the whale? Many years ago, some fellow workers at Chrysler said to me that Jonah was never in the belly of a whale, he didn’t even live by the sea. They said that Jonah was in a pickle. I didn’t believe them, but I did go home and read the book of Jonah.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:40, “Just as Jonah was three days & three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son Of man be three days & three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Jesus’ glorious resurrection is the “sign” par excellence, the decisive proof of the divine character of His person, of His mission and of His teaching. When St. Paul confesses that Jesus Christ, “was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,” he must have had this passage particularly in mind. We can see another allusion to Jonah in the words our Lord spoke shortly before His ascension: “Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer, and the third day rise from the dead.”
Lord Jesus, may we always recognize Your saving presence in our lives and never forget your promises when we encounter trials and difficulties. Give us a faith that never wavers, a hope that never fades, and a love that never grows cold.
Saint James Catholic Church 