Many scholars view the prophet Jonah as an ethnocentric, small-minded, ill-tempered, anti-prophet. Though those qualifications may be true, he was also the most successful evangelist in all of Scripture; he was the only prophet Jesus ever identified with; and his fish story is in a class by itself. For about a year, his story has captured my imagination as I tried to explore the meaning of the book through the visual arts and the written word. The elements on this page are the fruit of that exploration.

Lenten Prayer Gallery

The book of Jonah is read in the Catholic and Orthodox communities during the season of Lent because it is a book about repentance. It is read in the Jewish communities on the Day of Atonement. In chapter one, the sailors repent. In chapter 2, Jonah repents.  In chapter 3, the people of Nineveh repent. In chapter 4, God repents and decides to not send judgement upon Nineveh. I tried to create a meditative visual experience for people entering the gallery. This document shows photos of the gallery when it was set up.

In addition this page show 12 of the paintings illustration the story of Jonah.

In the Belly of the Fish

We wanted something to grab peoples attention when they first entered the church lobby. That something was an eight foot cardboard fish with a miserable looking Jonah scrunched inside. Visit this page to see additional images of the fish.

 

 

Retreat Guides

 

Visio Divina

Visio Divina means “Sacred Seeing.” Artists throughout history have found the Jonah story fascinating. Listed below are six works of art along with a reflection on each piece. Take some time to sit with each piece.

Other Writing

Biblical scholars all agree that the Book of Jonah is a literary masterpiece. The essay, Why Read the Book of Jonah explains why the book intrigued me.

 

 

 

 

 Wally, the Discerning Diner was written and illustrated for my grandchildren. It is a whale of a tale about Jonah-from-Joppa who became dessert.