These three colorful books offer gripping stories of how God shows his mercy and accomplishes his will through human actions. Jonah is a reluctant prophet who must be swallowed by a big fish before he delivers his message to Israel's ancient enemies at Nineveh that they must repent or face doom. Tobit tells of the trials and tribulations of a family, and the power of prayer as God sends an angel to guide Tobit's son Tobiah on a journey of resolution. In the book of Judith, asimple and courageous widow, rather than an army, saves her people from destruction by a powerful enemy.
This rich commentary explores the significant themes of each book, showing that God is intimately involved with the destiny of humankind.
Irene Nowell, OSB, is a member of the Benedictine community of Mount SaintScholastica in Atchison, Kansas. She served on thetranslation team of the revised Old Testament of the New American Bible and the Committee on Illuminations and Texts for The Saint John's Bible. Nowell is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association. She is a contibutor to Give Us This Day published by Liturgical Press and author of Pleading, Cursing, Praising: Conversing with God Through the Psalms; Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, and Numbers of the New Collegeville Bible Commentary); Sing a New Song: The Psalms in the Sunday Lectionary, and Women in the Old Testament, all published by Liturgical Press.
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