CHILD TERROR
February 24, 2010
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“This generation is an evil generation.” – Luke 11:29
A couple of weeks before I received this assignment to write for Didache 2010, I attended a media forum, the
Bulong Pulungan held at the Hotel Sofitel, where the guest was Edu Manzano, chair of the Optical Media
Board, whose mandate is to confiscate pirated CDs or DVDs. Edu showed samples of DVDs he has
confiscated — showing what he called “appalling, stomach wrenching” pornography involving girls in their
puberty.
A week after that, I received an invitation to attend a press conference on human trafficking. The guest was
Kristie Kenny, United States Ambassador to the Philippines . She called on everyone to make the fight
against human trafficking “the fight of our lifetime.”
Then, a couple of weeks later, Rey Ortega, founder of Tahanan ng Pagmamahal, an orphanage supported
by the Light of Jesus, gave me an article where he wrote about the wards of Tahanan. One of them was a
rape victim.
Yes, children are being attacked by adults who are supposed to nurture and protect them. Indeed, as the
Gospel today points out, evil lurks in our midst. Let us pray for the victims, let us pray for strength for those
who are working to save the children, and let us do what we can to fight this evil. Cynthia Santiago
(boses2go@yahoo.com)
REFLECTION:
What can you do to assist those who help victims of child terror?
Lord, grant that I may give — my time, my talent, my resources — to support the advocacy against human
trafficking and child pornography
1st READING
Jonah is sent on a seemingly impossible ministry — convert the city of Nineveh . Yet this is not what causes
Jonah concern. His success at his mission would bring him greater worry.
Jonah 3:1-10
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Set out for the great city of Nineveh , and
announce to it the message that I will tell you.” 3 So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh , according to
the LORD’s bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah
began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and
Nineveh shall be destroyed,” 5 when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of
them, great and small, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh , he rose from his
throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. 7 Then he had this
proclaimed throughout Nineveh , by decree of the king and his nobles: “Neither man nor beast, neither cattle
nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. 8 Man and beast shall be
covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he
has in hand. 9 Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not
perish.” 10 When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he
had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.
P S A L M
Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19
R: A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4] Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my
sin cleanse me. (R) 10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11
[13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. (R) 16 [18] For you are not
pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 17 [19] My sacrifice, O God, is
a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. (R)
G O S P E L
The sign of Jonah that Jesus speaks about is repentance and conversion. This is essential for all of us.
Without conversion, our lives will become assimilated into the culture of the world which is far from godly. If
we are truly serious about doing God’s will, then we have to be serious about rooting out all the patterns of
worldly thinking and behavior that have seeped into our lives.
Luke 11:29-32
29 While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. 30 Just as Jonah became a sign to the
Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 At the judgment the queen of the south will rise
with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. 32 At the judgment the
men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they
repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Fishy Jonah
The first time God had sent Jonah to Nineveh , he tried to escape from God. Now he is back to square one
and he’d better go to Nineveh , known in the ancient world as the most cruel and horrible city. He went and,
wonder of wonders, he did not have to preach for three days. One day of a brief announcement of disaster
was enough to turn these pagans from their evil ways to God. The author exaggerates, of course, when he
writes that even the poor animals had to fast and were deprived even of water — he wants to emphasize the
unbelievable seriousness of these people. Please take your Bible and read the fourth chapter where Jonah
is very angry with God for not punishing that wicked city. He was a strange prophet. In the New Jerusalem
Bible, I found the following comment: “All the characters in the story are likable, the foreign sailor, the king of
Assyria, the populace of Nineveh, even the animals of Nineveh, all except the only Israelite on stage — and
he is a prophet!”
We have here a humorous but critical short story about Israel — and about us. God had sent prophet after
prophet but the Israelites would not repent. Finally, both their kingdoms had been destroyed. And yet, they
still didn’t repent. They still wanted the pagans to be destroyed. What about us? Not only prophet after
prophet, saint after saint, the Son of God Himself was sent to us to call us to repentance. Now we
understand the harsh word of Jesus, “On Judgment day, the men of Nineveh will stand up with this
generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater
than Jonah here.”
May these words of Jesus not apply to us! Lent is given to us as a time to turn away from sin, as we were
told on Ash Wednesday. One week of Lent has passed already. Ask yourself and answer honestly: Have I
turned away from sin already? Have I repented? May we not be put to shame by the people and animals of
Nineveh . Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD
Reflection Question:
Have I turned away from sin already? Have I repented?
Lord, yes, I feel ashamed when I read about the seriousness of the people of Nineveh . I feel ashamed
because I have let so many days of Lent pass without doing much about my spiritual life. Please forgive me.
And as You have given Jonah a second chance, so do with me.
St. Adela, pray for us.
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