The stories of the Hebrew Bible were familiar to Jesus and shaped his own religious consciousness. The Book of Jonah appears together with the other prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, but what a different sort of book is this! The Book of Jonah strikes us more like a short, almost comical, fairy tale than a serious book of prophesy - but it has a deep message for all of us who have been called by our baptism to also be priests, prophets, and royalty of the new Kingdom of God. When we hear the first chapter of Jonah today how many of us can recognize ourselves? Indeed we all should, for each of us - in all our various ways - has tried to escape from the missions the Lord wishes to give us. How often have we felt the Lord calling us to stand up, speak out, and act upon the values we believe in, and instead found for ourselves excuses to run away? How often have we found a corner where we could fall asleep, like Jonah, and try to avoid the problems and responsibilities the Lord places in front of us? Although the Lord may not, in our particular case, send his storms or his whales to swallow us, nevertheless, he continues to disturb us by knocking at the door to remind us he is there - and has a mission for us! Today might be the day to sit down in prayer with this reading and listen for the voice of the Lord and what he has in mind for us. Perhaps He has a mission for you that only you can fulfill!