Friday
of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
(Job
38:1.12-21.12-21.40:3-5; Luke 10:13-16)
The
great theologian Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman
wrote, “Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.” Although today it is presumed that doubt is
not disbelief as Cardinal Newman was implying in his statement, it still is a
serious matter. Humans have difficulty
accepting matters that they cannot understand.
Job certainly does so, and today’s reading does not condemn him for the
problem.
In
answering Job’s complaints, God indicates that His purposes are more
complicated than Job can imagine. God
knows the intricate relationships among things of heaven and earth. Job only knows how to run a farm. But God
mercifully addresses the suffering Job lest he despair. Even though the response does not resolve Job’s
difficulties, it does reveal God’s care.
Perhaps
we cannot refrain from asking questions, but it is critical that we also do not
stop thanking God for all the good on earth.
Fuller answers about suffering will come as we reflect on the mystery of
Jesus’ death for our sakes.
