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| “Saint Therese of Lisieux” artist and date are UNKNOWN |
Reading 1: Job 42:1-3, 5-6,
12-17
Job
answered the Lord and said:
I
know that you can do all things,
and
that no purpose of yours can be hindered.
I
have dealt with great things that I do not understand;
things
too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.
I
had heard of you by word of mouth,
but
now my eye has seen you.
Therefore
I disown what I have said,
and
repent in dust and ashes.
Thus
the Lord blessed the latter days of Job
more
than his earlier ones.
For
he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels,
a
thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.
And
he had seven sons and three daughters,
of
whom he called the first Jemimah,
the
second Keziah, and the third Kerenhappuch.
In
all the land no other women were as beautiful
as
the daughters of Job;
and
their father gave them an inheritance
along
with their brothers.
After
this, Job lived a hundred and forty years;
and
he saw his children, his grandchildren,
and
even his great-grandchildren.
Then
Job died, old and full of years.
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Commentary on Jb 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17
Commentary on Jb 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17
In
these verses we find Job’s final repentance and salvation from the burden
placed upon him. In reward for his faithfulness, he is given twice what was
taken away in property, in family, and in lifespan.
He first answers two challenges. “To the first (v. 3) Job replies by
confessing that he did speak without knowing all the facts, that is, without
appreciating the harmony with which creation is imbued, the awesome fact that
even seemingly useless and destructive things have their part to play. This is
a sort of ‘sapiential' response. To God's second appeal (v. 4). Job's reply is
full of faith: he acknowledges that God has manifested himself in person: now
he has seen him with his eyes (v. 5), as Moses and the prophets saw him, Job
feels consoled, and he is moved to repentance now that he has actually met
God.”[4]
In the final blessing (v.12-17), Job has all
he had lost returned to him and more. “…the Fathers see Job as prefiguring
Jesus; this applies also to the restoration of his fortunes: "Job
recovered both his health and his wealth. In the same way, the Lord, through
his resurrection, brings not only good health to those who believe in him, but
immortality; and he restores the whole kingdom of nature, as he himself assured
us when he said: Everything has been given to me by my Father. New children are
born of Job to replace those who died. Similarly, the holy apostles are sons of
the Lord in the same line as were the prophets of old. Job is filled with
happiness and in the end rests in peace. And the Lord is blessed forever, as he
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be" (St Zeno of Verona,
Tractatus, 1, 15).”[5]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130
R. (135) Lord, let your face shine on me.
Teach
me wisdom and knowledge,
for
in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, let your face
shine on me.
It
is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that
I may learn your statutes.
R. Lord, let your face
shine on me.
I
know, O Lord, that your ordinances are just,
and
in your faithfulness you have afflicted me.
R. Lord, let your face
shine on me.
According
to your ordinances they still stand firm:
all
things serve you.
R. Lord, let your face
shine on me.
I
am your servant; give me discernment
that
I may know your decrees.
R. Lord, let your face
shine on me.
The
revelation of your words sheds light,
giving
understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, let your face
shine on me.
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Commentary
on Ps 119:66, 71,
75, 91, 125, 130
Psalm 119, in
this section, is an individual lament asking for God’s support in times of
difficulty. From this, the longest of the psalms, the strophes ask for the
psalmist to be strengthened in the truth, and given wisdom that comes from the
law. The use of v. 71 (“It was good for me to be afflicted, in order to
learn your laws”) provides a clear reference to the suffering endured by
Job, and God’s final gift of salvation. (Job
42:1ff)
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Gospel: Luke 10:17-24
The
seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
“Lord,
even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus
said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold,
I have given you the power
‘to
tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and
upon the full force of the enemy
and
nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless,
do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but
rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
At
that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I
give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for
although you have hidden these things
from
the wise and the learned
you
have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes,
Father, such has been your gracious will.
All
things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No
one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and
who the Father is except the Son
and
anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning
to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed
are the eyes that see what you see.
For
I say to you,
many
prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but
did not see it,
and
to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
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Commentary on
Lk 10:17-24
The return of the seventy (two)
gives rise to the prayer of Jesus (expanding Mark 6:30), who turns the victory
of the disciples into a means to glorify the Father. The Lord gives thanks that
God has seen fit to reveal his identity, and pass on his power to these
disciples of his. Jesus tells them of the positive effect of their mission
saying: “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.” This
is reminiscent of Isaiah 14:12; the
evil one is defeated. The thought is concluded: “…do not rejoice because the
spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in
heaven.” This warning is a caution against becoming fixed on external
signs, but exhorts the Christian to look to the positive effect on the spirit
(cf 1 Corinthians 12).
The Gospel follows this with Jesus’ hymn of praise, also found in Matthew 11:25-27, and concludes the passage by telling
the disciples that they are given a privilege beyond prophets and kings (see
also Matthew 13:16-17). They
are seeing God’s plan fulfilled in Jesus.
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Reflection:
The
Gospel tells us – the hard part of God’s plan is already done! The Lord has come; fulfilling all that was
written in the Law of Moses and predicted by the Prophets. He has defeated the evil one: “I have
observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.” (Note – that’s past
tense) Death and sin have been conquered
and the gates of heaven flung open.
Through the Apostles, led by St. Peter, the authority of the Lord is
passed to us. All we are asked to do is
wield that authority in his name.
Ok,
so it’s not that simple. Even though the
authority was given, not all of us have accepted the fact that we can cast the
defeated enemy down. We are not
confident that our spiritual strength is sufficient to overcome the effects of
Satan (even though beaten) in the world.
But all is not lost. We can rise to the challenge. It is within our grasp to do so.
We
submit that it is like a child who is learning to ride a bike. As long as they are sure the parent is there
beside them holding them steady as they learn to ride, they are fine. But as soon as they look back and see that
mom or dad’s hand is no longer on the bike holding them up, they fall. We need to be confident; confident that, even
though invisible, the Holy Spirit is there holding us up. We need to recall that the Lord has assigned
heavenly messengers to keep us safe, giving us God’s own armor against evil.
Today
we pray for confidence. We ask God to
give us strength to do his will, and the wisdom of the disciples, who saw and
heard what the ancients did not, and recognize Jesus is Lord.
Pax
[2]
The picture is “Saint Therese of Lisieux”
artist and date are UNKNOWN
[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
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
The Navarre Bible: “Wisdom Books”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003,
pp 152
[5]
ibid
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