Word to the Wise
Friday, October 3, 2014 - Friday in the 26th Week in Ordinary Time
[Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5 and Luke 10:13-16]The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said: Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place......[Job]
For all whose who like to have definite and clear answers to life's great mysteries, the Book of Job will be a frustration. After the many dialogues with his "friends," Job receives an "answer" from God. The answer is basically this: I am God and you are human. You suffer because you are part of a vast creation, all of which is subject to suffering.
When I see the latest pictures of the starry skies taken by one of those orbiting telescopes, I cannot help but think of Job. God's providence is vast and so is God's love. Job is restored to his former state with even more than he had before. God scolds Job's friends because they attempted to answer an "unanswerable" question. In the end, it is Job's faithfulness that prevails, even if it is with deep questions and cries.
Job's last words before God restores him may seem humiliating to us, but they are the words of submission to God's providence: "Behold, I am of little account: what can I answer you?" God's reply is to show Job how great indeed Job's faithfulness is of account. AMEN