February 21st, 2004, Wednesday of the first week of Lent.

A reading from the book of the prophet Jonah.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.

Set out for the great city of Nineveh and announced to it the message that I will tell you.

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.

Jonah began his journey through the city and had gone but a single day's walk announcing

40 days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.

When the people of Nineveh believed God, they proclaimed to fast that all of them,

great and small, put on sackcloth.

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.

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.

Man and beasts 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.

Who knows? God may relent and forgive and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish.

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. The word of the Lord. The response is, a heart contrite

and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness, and the greatness

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