Tuesday – Twenty-sixth Week – OT2

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Tuesday – Twenty-sixth Week – OT2

Readings: Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23; Lk. 9:51-56.

1/ Reading I: RSV Job 3:1 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 And Job said: 3 “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which said, `A male-child is conceived.’ 11 “Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? 12 Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should suck? 13 For then I should have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then I should have been at rest, 14 with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves, 15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. 16 Or why was I not as a hidden untimely birth, as infants that never see the light? 17 There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. 20 “Why is light given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, 21 who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hid treasures; 22 who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they find the grave? 23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, whom God has hedged in?

2/ Gospel: RSV Luke 9:51 When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; 53 but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village.

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I. THEME: Human reactions to opposite wills and sufferings

            When facing opposite wills and sufferings in life, human beings used to have three tendencies:

            (1) To blame on God: Those who believed in the Predestination think all were set up by God or heaven. If He wants one to suffer, that one must suffer; if He wants one to be happy, that one shall be happy. Human beings cannot do anything to change their destiny.

            (2) To blame on others: Some blame parents: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Jer 31:29). Others blame on all people, as J.P. Sastre, an existentialist said, “People are hell.”

            (3) To blame on self: Many blame on themselves as they were born under unlucky stars.

            Today readings show us two of these accusations. In the first reading, Job cursed the day he was born. He wished that day shouldn’t exist, or he should die when he had just gotten out of his mother’s womb so that he shall not be suffered as he is now. In the Gospel, when his two disciples, James and John, wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume Samarian cities, because they refused to welcome them, Jesus rebuked his disciples because that is not God’s way of education.

II. ANALYSIS:

1/ Reading I: Job’s reaction when he had to face his terrible sufferings.

            Before one can understand Job’s situation and his sayings, one must read the whole Book, not partly. Moreover, one must also understand that at the time of the Book was written, the Israelites didn’t have the clear concepts of the resurrection and the eternal life yet. To them, all what they have is in this present life; and the rewards for those who walk in God’s way are wealth, children, health, and a long life. The main question which the author of the Book of Job seeks for the answer is why are the good people suffered?

1.1/ Job wished he never exists in the world: Many people thought Satan got what he wanted when Job cursed God with these words, “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which said, `A male-child is conceived.’ … Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Why did the knees receive me? Why the breasts that I should suck? For then I should have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then I should have been at rest.”

            When one inspects carefully these words, there is nothing that curses God. Rather, they are the words of a person who didn’t know why good people are suffered.

1.2/ Job wished he should die long time ago: If people must suffer and there is nothing remaining after death, living is nonsense and death is a good solution. We need to know that all the Wisdom Books, the Book of Job included, were written from 5th to 2nd century BC and influenced greatly by Greek’s philosophy. Many Greek philosophers regarded a human body as a prison that confines one’s soul, and death is the way to liberate the soul from the body so that one shall no longer be suffered. To the Jews, the resurrection and the life after death weren’t clear until they were clearly revealed by Jesus. This is the reason why Job said, “Then I should have been at rest, with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves, or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. Or why was I not as a hidden untimely birth, as infants that never see the light?”

1.3/ Job didn’t understand the reason of sufferings: The readers understand the reason of Job’s suffering due to Satan’s challenge in the beginning of the Book that Job loves God because he is blessed and protected by Him. If God takes all blessings away, Job shall curse Him. In opposition, God wants to prove to Satan that Job loves Him truly. Both agreed that suffering is the way to find out the answer.

            Job didn’t understand the cause of suffering. Since he didn’t understand the ultimate goal of life, he couldn’t find the meaning of life. Job questioned what do people live this life for? It is nonsense for suffering! If it is so, death should be better. This is the reason for his following questions, “Why is light given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hid treasures; who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, whom God has hedged in?”

2/ Gospel: James and John wanted to destroy Samarians who refused to welcome Jesus.

2.1/ The relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans: The shortest distance from Galilee to Jerusalem is to go through Samaria; but most of the Jews avoided that way because there existed a feud between them. The Jews use two other ways to Jerusalem, either by the way of the Mediterranean Sea or by the way of the Jordan River, which one must travel to Jericho and then going up to Jerusalem. The Samaritans used many ways to discourage the Jews to cross over their territory as we saw in today Gospel: “They would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.”

2.2/ The reaction of James and John: They felt indignant when they saw the Samaritans’ reaction, and they asked Jesus: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” This is the popular reaction of the Jews for the Gentiles. They probably thought that Jesus was humble himself to enter their villages to bring the Good News to them. If they refuse to hear, they are not deserved to live.

2.3/ Jesus’ reaction: He rebuked them. To destroy those who held an opposite view with you is not the best way to solve a problem; but to make them to become your friends will solve all problems. When A. Lincoln, the American president, was criticized that he has been so soft in his manner with enemies; and he forgot his duty is to destroy them, he answered back, “Am I not destroyed them when I made them to become my friends?”

            In chapter 4 of the Fourth Gospel, Jesus conversed the Samaritan woman and made her to be the first missionary to her people even before all the apostles. The Acts also reported Philip’s mission to the Samaritans after Stephen’s martyr. He healed many and made many to believe in Jesus (Acts 8:4-8). If Jesus let his two apostles did what they want, how could God receive many Samaritans into His kingdoms?

III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:     

            – In order to make believers, we need to preach the Good News to them. We shouldn’t condemn anyone who does not have an opportunity to hear the Good News.

            – We cannot fathom God’s plan because of our limitations. Therefore, when facing opposite views and sufferings, we need to imitate Jesus and the Blessed Mother. They memorized and contemplated them; instead of questioning God’s plan, people’s intentions, or wishing them to be destroyed.

            – To destroy our enemies is not the best way to solve confliction; but to make them our friends will solve all problems.

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