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Friday – Twenty-sixth Week – OT2
Readings: Job 38:1, 12-21, 33-35; Lk 10:13-16.
1/ First Reading: NAB Job 38:1 Then the LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said: 12 Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place 13 For taking hold of the ends of the earth, till the wicked are shaken from its surface? 14 The earth is changed as is clay by the seal, and dyed as though it were a garment; 15 But from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm of pride is shattered. 16 Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss? 17 Have the gates of death been shown to you, or have you seen the gates of darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me, if you know all: 19 Which is the way to the dwelling place of light, and where is the abode of darkness, 20 That you may take them to their boundaries and set them on their homeward paths? 21 You know, because you were born before them, and the number of your years is great! 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens; can you put into effect their plan on the earth? 34 Can you raise your voice among the clouds, or veil yourself in the waters of the storm? 35 Can you send forth the lightnings on their way, or will they say to you, “Here we are”?
2/ Gospel: NAB Luke 10:13 “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. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.'” 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
I. THEME: Know God and know oneself.
Sun Tzu said this famous sentence: “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” Many who don’t know themselves but also know nothing about God. Many have a tendency to apply what they know to God. These people take pride on themselves, they despise God, those who work for God, and completely eliminate Him from their life.
Today readings teach us to avoid this attitude because it leads to many sufferings.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: God’s providence in the universe
Human beings can recognize God’s presence, wisdom and power through their observation of nature. St. Thomas Aquinas used a scientific principle, called the principle of cause and effect to demonstrate this. For example, according to this principle, if a thing exists, there must be a cause of its existence. But the universe exists, then there must be a creator of the universe whom we call God. Moreover, the more ingenious of the existed thing is, the wiser is its producer. If we look at the universe or a human body with all the parts working in harmony with each other, we can recognize God’s wisdom and power. St. Paul also affirmed this, “For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse” (Rom 1:19-20).
In today passage, God also reminded Job that he must recognize God’s wisdom and power:
(1) Through what happen in the air: “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?”
(2) Through what happen in the sea and deep abyss: “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?”
(3) Through the presence of light and darkness: “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!”
(4) Through God’s control of the universe: “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens; can you put into effect their plan on the earth? 34 Can you raise your voice among the clouds, or veil yourself in the waters of the storm?”
Job must confess that he didn’t know the answers for all these questions.
2/ Gospel: Know yourself so that you can avoid the sin of pride.
(1) Chorazin and Bethsaida: Eusebius, the historian and St. Jerome located Chorazin is a city about two miles from Capernaum to the north. Since it was on a hill so from this city people can look down to Capernaum and the Galilee. This city was prosperous until 2nd AD. Though the Gospel didn’t report any of Jesus’ preaching or healing in Chorazin, but since this city is near Capernaum, people of the city must hear about Jesus’ teaching and see his miracles.
Bethsaida, in Hebrew means “the house of fish.” This city is on the west of Tiberias Lake. This was the native place of three apostles, Peter, Andrew and Philip; Jesus often came here to rest (Cf. Mk 6:45, Lk 9 :10, Jn 1:44, 12:21). At this place, Jesus healed a blind (Mk 8:25) and Peter’s mother-in-law (Mt 8 :14, Mk 1 :30).
(2) Tyre and Sidon are two Gentile cities: They lie along the seacoast of the Mediterranean sea to the north of Palestine, belong to Lebanon now. Since they are on the seacoast and the connection between European and Asian continents, these two cities were prosperous. In all of Jesus’ public ministry, there was only one time, reported by Matthews and Mark that Jesus came to Tyre and Sidon (Mt 15:21, Mk 7:30) to heal the daughter of a Canaanite woman after praising her strong faith. Even though these two cities had not many opportunities to witness Jesus’ miracles as other Jewish cities, but every time when they heard that Jesus preached near to their cities, they came to hear him. Jesus was astonished at the faith of the Canaanite woman.
When comparing between two Jewish cities, Chorazin and Bethsaida, with two Gentiles cities, Tyre and Sidon, Jesus acclaimed: “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.”
(3) Capernaum was mentioned sixteen times by all four evangelists. Matthew and Mark reported Jesus began his public mission at Capernaum after was tempted in the desert (Mt 4:13, Mk 1:21). He often came here to preach (Mk 2:2, Lk 4:31); and the most important sermon about the sacrament of the Eucharist was given here in the Jewish synagogue (Jn 6). Jesus did many miracles at Capernaum (Lk 4:23): healing of the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:5, Lk 7:10); healing of the person possessed by demon (Mk 1:26, Lk 4:33); healing of the paralyzed (Mk 2:12); doing the first miracle by making water unto wine at Cana, very close to Capernaum (Jn 2:11); healing the officer’s son (Jn 4:52); commanding the storm to be quiet (Jn 6:21).
Jesus also met many trials and oppositions at Capernaum (Mt 17:24, Mk 2:7). Even though people at Capernaum often heard Jesus’ teaching and witnessed many of his miracles, they were still stubborn, prideful and not believing in him. This is the reason for Jesus’ rebuke in today passage: “And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’”
(4) The results of welcoming or denying his disciples: Jesus proclaimed, “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” This proclamation shows us the importance of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus gave them all necessary things for the preaching of the Gospel before he sent them out. They are Jesus’ representatives as Jesus is God’s representative; the sent have full authority as the sender. People have a tendency to insult the representatives, regarding them as having no full authority as their owner. They forget that their reports have power to cause God’s reward or punishment on them.
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– We must learn about God to understand His wisdom and ways and to avoid the prideful attitude. We shouldn’t behave as “a frog seats at the bottom of a well.”
– If we are given many opportunities to know God, we shall be judged heavier than those who don’t have many opportunities. We should use these opportunities to strengthen our faith.