October 9th, 2003, Monday of the 27th week in ordinary time.

A reading from the book of the prophet Jonah.

This is the word of the Lord that came to Jonah, son of Amitai, set out for the great city of Nineveh and preach against it.

Their wickedness has come up before me.

But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the Lord.

He went down to Jaba, found a ship going to Tarshish,

paid the fair, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish, away from the

Lord.

The Lord, however, hurled a violent wind upon the sea, and in the furious tempest that arose,

the ship was on the point of breaking up.

Then the mariners became frightened, and each one cried to his God.

To lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea.

Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship and lay there fast asleep.

The captain came to him and said, What are you doing asleep?

Rise up.

Call upon your God.

Perhaps God will be mindful of us

so that we may not perish.

Then they said to one another,

Come, let us cast lots to find out

on whose account we have met with this misfortune.

So they cast lots, and thus singled out Jonah.

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