Word to the Wise
Monday, September 30, 2024 - Monday in the 26th Week in Ordinary Time
[Job 1:6-22 and Luke 9:46-50,527]"Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I go back again. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God. [Job]
SEPTEMBER 30 ST. JEROME, [doctor of the church]
The first scripture for much of this week will come from the Book of Job! We will be brought face to face, scripturally speaking, with the mystery of human suffering of all kinds, physical, emotional, spiritual. Today's passage sets the stage for one of the most profound spiritual/literary works in human history. One does not have to be Christian or Jew to appreciate Job's story. It begins with a sequence of utter disasters which seem incomprehensible, even if, as the book suggests, it's all just a test of Job's integrity - a bet between God and Satan!
Job's words at the outset, after the series of "disasters," which I have quoted above, seem humble and accepting, but that will not last very long. His very soul is being touched by suffering. His so-called friends try to convince him that he must have done something terribly wrong to be punished so terribly. That, too, is part of his suffering. What he needs most is compassion and empathy. What he gets from them is blame and explanations - well intentioned, no doubt, but not helpful! At an important point he cries out: "Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! Why do you hound me as though you were divine, and insatiably prey upon me?" Could it be that the friends are worried that the same fate could be theirs?
There is so much to be gained from our few days with the Book of Job. Stay tuned! AMEN