Today is the twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Our first reading this Sunday is from Job. We only get a few readings from Job across the three year cycle of Sunday and Holy Day readings. That’s a shame because Job is a really good story and one that many of us can relate to. Job is all about unmerited suffering and who among us hasn’t suffered at some point in our lives when we weren’t the cause, or at least a contributor, to our own suffering? To be sure most of the time we cause our own suffering but sometimes we don’t.
Job vacillates between sorrow, resignation, and anger throughout most of the story but we know, from the very beginning, that Job was a “blameless and upright man who feared God and avoided evil.” That knowledge helps us to sympathize with Job as he makes his way through the 42 chapters of the book.
Today’s snippet is from chapter 38 where God, having listened to Job’s complaints, answers him. It’s clear that God has heard enough and puts Job in his place. If I was choosing the portion of chapter 38 for today’s reading I likely would have chosen something different than the Church chose. I suggest you read all of chapter 38 as well as 39, and the beginning of 40 to get a fuller picture of God’s reply to Job and Job’s response.
The point of the story is that God is God and we’re not. God exists outside of time and sees all while we, and Job, only see a snapshot. We live within time but God doesn’t. God has a plan that we aren’t aware of. As His prophet Isaiah says in chapter 55 God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and our ways are not God’s ways.
Like the Gospel in today’s readings Job’s story is really about trusting God. It’s easy to say we trust God when all is well but much more difficult when we’re in trouble, trouble we can’t fix.
I pray that I can trust God more and rely on myself less. I pray the same for you. This world where we are so self reliant is attractive to us but that’s not what God asks of us. He asks us to be childlike in our trust of Him and to believe that He is really there for us, and not asleep and inattentive.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
I hope you have a great week. Connie and I will be in Springfield next weekend. I hope we’ll see many of you at Mass. Be sure to say hi.
Peace, Bob
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