"I would be better off dead than alive"

In today’s first reading (Jonah 4:1-11), the prophet Jonah is feeling very down and sorry for himself: so much so that he wishes he were dead.

God does not answer his request; in fact, he does not even address it directly.

Instead, God goes straight to what the real problem is and puts Jonah’s so-called problems into perspective.

Whatever our problems are, they are really very small in this great big universe.

Yet as small as we may feel ourselves to be, God loves each of us individually and completely and He calls us to share that love with others.

We may feel bad about ourselves, but with the mercy of God, we can gain a better perspective about ourselves, our problems, and our place in the universe by being channels of God’s love.