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“Saint Jerome”
by Guido Reni, 1635 |
Readings for Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading I: Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5
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
For taking hold of the ends of the earth,
till the wicked are shaken from its surface?
The earth is changed as is clay by the seal,
and dyed as though it were a garment;
But from the wicked the light is withheld,
and the arm of pride is shattered.
Have you entered into the sources of the sea,
or walked about in the depths of the abyss?
Have the gates of death been shown to you,
or have you seen the gates of darkness?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all:
Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,
and where is the abode of darkness,
That you may take them to their boundaries
and set them on their homeward paths?
You know, because you were born before them,
and the number of your years is great!
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;
though twice, I will do so no more.
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Commentary on Jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5
The exchanges between Job and the “three friends” have concluded. Now God himself speaks to Job: “He speaks of his wisdom and power, which are altogether beyond the capacity of Job, who therefore should never dare to demand a reason for the divine actions. Out of the storm: frequently the background of the appearances of the Lord in the Old Testament; cf Psalm 18; 50; Nahum 1:3; Hebrews 3.” [4]
Other versions of Scripture translate the word as “whirlwind.” “The theophany 'out of the whirlwind' would alone have made this plain; it was a whirlwind that took Elijah up to heaven (2 Kings 2:1,11) and it figures in the eschatological appearances of the Lord (cf. Ezekiel 1:1-3; 15; Zechariah 9:14); even if God had made himself silently present, Job would have had his desire fulfilled: he would have met the Lord. But by responding to Job with words, God is bestowing on him the same sign of favor as he gave to the patriarchs and to Moses, with whom he spoke face to face. In this way the sacred writer shows how very worthy a person Job is.” [5] Job’s response to God (in Job 40:3-5) is his final admission that he is incapable of understanding God’s ways.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O Lord, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
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Commentary on Ps 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab
Psalm 139 is a hymn of meditation upon God’s presence in our lives. The selection carries the awe that one so great could love one so insignificant. It recognizes that God’s spirit is in all his creation, and, by its existence, knowledge of God's spirit is omnipresent.
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Gospel: Luke 10:13-16
Jesus said to them,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
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Commentary on Lk 10:13-16
This selection is a continuation of the instructions being given to the seventy (two) who are being sent out. The Lord instructs them to issue a call to repentance to those who reject the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. The punishment of these unbelieving communities will be severe, as their rejection of the call to holiness is a rejection of Christ himself: “And whoever rejects me [Jesus] rejects the one who sent me."
CCC: Lk 10:16 87, 858
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Reflection:
What do the wisdom of Job and the exhortations of the Gospel tell us as we hear them proclaimed? In the Book of Job, we approach the climax of Job’s story. God speaks to him asking if he [Job], like the creator, has knowledge of all that is created. He challenges Job to have faith, to consider all the power and majesty of what the Lord has laid before him. God points out, not just physical creation, but also that his justice will defeat the wicked in the end, and the faithful shall be vindicated, although this is not comprehensible by human standards (any more than our complete understanding of creation).
We jump forward now to Jesus’ instructions to the seventy (two). Like the wicked in God’s discourse with Job, whose “light is withheld, and the arm of pride is shattered,” the unbelieving communities to whom these disciples are sent “will go down to the netherworld.” Like the wicked mentioned in Job’s discourse, those who hear Christ’s Gospel and reject it will not participate in God’s mercy.
From a very pragmatic perspective, this makes perfect sense. Think for a moment about what a believing person receives automatically from their faith in God and Christ. Immediately they recognize that, while they may not understand all of God’s actions, nor even Christ’s will for them, they are recipients of God’s consolation. God is with us, Christ supports us, and the Holy Spirit infuses us with strength. What confidence and peace that gives the believer as the world rages with uncertainty.
For those who reject God, and who look to their own strength to secure themselves, they will certainly fall prey to despair. Walking alone into the lion’s den will bring death; coming with God’s support and strength, even in the face of terrible danger, will bring victory.
And for those who do not believe, what are we to do about them? We are called, as the seventy (two) were called, to love them and reach out to them. God sent Christ so that all peoples of all nations might know his love for them and receive his invitation to join in his heavenly banquet. We must never cease inviting them to join us, but not as a demand. Jesus did not demand acceptance but offered an invitation to salvation. Just as we would offer a seat in a lifeboat to those on a sinking ship, we should call to them. “Follow the Lord, he shows the way.”
Even as we take those instructions to heart, we are warned by the Gospel that there will be many who refuse. Today we pray for them, the ones who hear and reject the priceless offer. May our continuing invitation persuade them in the end, and may they join us in the glory of God’s love.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is
“Saint Jerome” by Guido Reni, 1635.[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.
[4] NAB footnote on Job 38:1.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Wisdom Books,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 139-40.
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