Reading Job 1:6-22
One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD,Satan also came among them.
And the LORD said to Satan, "Whence do you come?"
Then Satan answered the LORD and said,
"From roaming the earth and patrolling it."
And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job,
and that there is no one on earth like him,
blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?"
But Satan answered the LORD and said,
"Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing?
Have you not surrounded him and his family
and all that he has with your protection?
You have blessed the work of his hands,
and his livestock are spread over the land.
But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has,
and surely he will blaspheme you to your face."
And the LORD said to Satan,
"Behold, all that he has is in your power;
only do not lay a hand upon his person."
So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
And so one day, while his sons and his daughters
were eating and drinking wine
in the house of their eldest brother,
a messenger came to Job and said,
"The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them,
and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid.
They put the herdsmen to the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you."
While he was yet speaking, another came and said,
"Lightning has fallen from heaven
and struck the sheep and their shepherds and consumed them;
and I alone have escaped to tell you."
While he was yet speaking, another messenger came and said,
"The Chaldeans formed three columns,
seized the camels, carried them off,
and put those tending them to the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you."
While he was yet speaking, another came and said,
"Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine
in the house of their eldest brother,
when suddenly a great wind came across the desert
and smote the four corners of the house.
It fell upon the young people and they are dead;
and I alone have escaped to tell you."
Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair.
He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said,
"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.
Saint Therese is well known for her "little way," which emphasized living a very simple life, and being grateful to the Lord in every situation of the day, offering up sufferings as well as good things, no matter how trivial something might seem.
This brought me to consider the words of Job:
"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!"
It seems to me that many of us will not know the kind of total "taking away"' that Job experienced. Clearly some of us have lost much, and surely there are some who truly have lost everything, as Job did, but the majority of us have very little experiential knowledge of this kind of suffering.
How then, do we understand the prayer of thanksgiving and of trust that is made here by Job? How do we enter into prayer with this?
Saint Therese had many instances of loss which most of us would consider small or insignificant. A fellow sister blamed her for something that she did not do. Some did not believe her to be prayerful or holy. She herself often felt the failure of her will, when she intended to do something but found it much more challenging to accomplish. These small trials can be both ignored by us or become instances of dejection. However, Saint Therese learned that they could be transformed into instances of gratitude, where humility and purity of heart could be fostered.
We have these opportunities aplenty. A coworker has a higher opinion of herself than of you. A friend fails to ask how you are but has to share all of his burdens. A parent is disappointed in a decision you make. A boss gives a promotion to someone who you know is not a hard worker and does not really deserve it. A friend forgets to invite you out, and you are lonely. Etc, etc...
There are so many small ways that our pride can be vanquished and our hearts purified, if only we have the grace from the Holy Spirit to step back and see the situations for what they are: opportunities to thank the Lord, rather than to "abuse" him, as satan wants. How often we complain instead, and go on about the injustice of the world! How often we wish we could say something cutting back, to feel somewhat vindicated.
We have so many small chances to offer something to God in praise, and how beautiful it is when his children do so in such love. It is perhaps easier to thank God and continue to praise him when larger struggles come our way, for we are so broken in will and spirit that there is no where else to turn. Yet, in these small and mundane times, we can offer so much of ourselves as a sacrifice and prayer, if only we seek the grace to do so.
Let us pray for a greater childlike trust in God's love; a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit; an increase in the virtues of purity, humility and obedience; and a heart like Our Lady's, which praised God in every circumstance, even at the foot of the Cross.
No comments:
Post a Comment