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“St. Vincent de Paul”
artist and date are unknown |
Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading I: Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23
Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
Job spoke out and said:
Perish the day on which I was born,
the night when they said, “The child is a boy!”
Why did I not perish at birth,
come forth from the womb and expire?
Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth,
like babes that have never seen the light?
Wherefore did the knees receive me?
or why did I suck at the breasts?
For then I should have lain down and been tranquil;
had I slept, I should then have been at rest
With kings and counselors of the earth
who built where now there are ruins
Or with princes who had gold
and filled their houses with silver.
There the wicked cease from troubling,
there the weary are at rest.
Why is light given to the toilers,
and life to the bitter in spirit?
They wait for death and it comes not;
they search for it rather than for hidden treasures,
Rejoice in it exultingly,
and are glad when they reach the grave:
Those whose path is hidden from them,
and whom God has hemmed in!
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Commentary on Jb 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23
Job, the faithful servant of God, has lost all his possessions. His family has been taken from him, and he has been personally afflicted. In these verses he begins his first soliloquy. Without asking for salvation by God, Job laments his desperate state, by beginning to question why he was even given the first gift of life (see parallels in Jeremiah 20:14-18, 1 Kings 19:4 and Sirach 23:14). The important element of this lament is the question itself: “why,” for what reason? Going further in vs. 20-23, the question is broadened to include all who are born into suffering and harsh servitude. In this early part of the Book of Job, there is bewilderment on Job’s part. Divine justice has not yet been introduced.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8
R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
O Lord, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
For my soul is surfeited with troubles
and my life draws near to the nether world.
I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;
I am a man without strength.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
My couch is among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom you remember no longer
and who are cut off from your care.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the dark abyss.
Upon me your wrath lies heavy,
and with all your billows you overwhelm me.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8
Reminiscent of Job, Psalm 88 is an individual lament. The psalmist cries out, having been afflicted and deserted by his friends. As the singer calls for God to attend his prayer in the first strophe, he considers his descent to death in those that follow.
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Gospel: Luke 9:51-56
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.
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Commentary on Lk 9:51-56
This passage from St. Luke’s Gospel marks the beginning of the Lord’s final journey to Jerusalem. Just as his Galilean ministry began with a rejection by the people of his home town, this passage sees him rejected by the Samaritans. Jesus disregards the suggestion by his disciples to call down heavenly retribution. In doing so he disassociates himself from the image of Elijah (see what could be thought to be a parallel story in 2 Kings 1:10, 12). The final journey begins as it will end, with rejection.
CCC: Lk 9:51 557
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Reflection:
Taken as a whole, the readings today are really depressing. First Job, having lost everything, his possessions, his family, and even his health, asks the rhetorical question: “Why was I even born?” That same tone is taken up in the lament of Psalm 88, as the singer pleads with God to hear that desperate prayer. Finally, in the “Good News,” Jesus begins his ominous last journey to Jerusalem, encountering a (not unexpected) rejection by the Samaritans. What joyous, pragmatic advice can we deduce from these selections?
If this day were taken alone, out of context, our faith would indeed suffer a bout of depression. But even as we reflect upon the hardships of Job, and the rejection of Jesus, we know how things will turn out. Job has his fortunes and health restored, and Jesus, though he dies, rises to new life. But how could we rejoice in these final outcomes, if we had not first been plunged into the despair of life’s realities faced by our heroes?
These difficult situations and events relating extreme conflict serve as times of consolation for us. They are in actuality gifts of hope. Job, whose fall was far worse than any most of us will ever experience, demonstrates a faithfulness that, even faced with complete disaster, was not broken. His example in the face of dire consequences is one of fidelity, which we are called to emulate. Jesus’ rejection by the Samaritans likewise teaches us that even the most joyous news can be rejected by those who are blocked from seeing truth by forces about which they are ignorant.
Rather than being depressed by these stark events today, we should take hope from them. We know how their stories end, and how ours, if we remain faithful, will end as well. Let us rejoice in our misfortunes this day; we are in very good company.
Pax
[1] The picture is “St. Vincent de Paul” artist and date are unknown.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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