Monday, October 10 : Saint Peter Chrysologus

Jonah himself is the one who decided to have himself thrown overboard: “Take me and throw me into the sea,” he said (Jon 1:12). This stands for the willing Passion of the Lord. … But see how a monster rises up from the depths, and a great fish approaches that is to fulfil and show forth in perfect fashion our Lord’s resurrection, or rather, to beget this mystery. A monster is there, a terrifying image of hell, and when its hungry maw stirs it to throw itself on the prophet, it tastes and swallows might and, devouring him, forces itself, in fact, to devour no one anymore. Its belly’s daunting resting place makes ready a home for its guest from on high in such a way that, what had been a cause of misfortune, became the unimaginable vessel for a necessary crossing, keeping its passenger safe and vomiting him onto the shore after three days. Thus was given to the Gentiles what had been snatched away from Christ’s enemies. And when these latter asked for a sign, our Lord estimated that this sign alone would be given them by which they would understand that the glory they had expected to receive from Christ would also be given to the Gentiles. … Through the ill will of his enemies Christ had been immersed in the depths of chaos, in the place of the dead. For three days he went into every crevice (1 Pt 3,19). And when he was raised up from it, he manifested simultaneously the wickedness of his foes, his own greatness and his victory over death. So it is only right that, on judgement day, the men of Nineveh should “rise up against this generation and condemn it,” for they were converted by the preaching of a single, shipwrecked prophet, an unknown foreigner. Whereas the people of this generation neither believed nor were converted after so many wonderful deeds and miracles, nor with all the glory of the resurrection.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team