Suffering and Justice

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate extremes in human experience, poverty and plenty, and the least and the greatest.

Love the Least with Justice

The Reading from the Book of Job presents an interview between the Lord and “the Satan”, the First Trial, and Job’s Reaction.

* [1:6] Sons of God: members of the divine council; see Gn 6:1–4; Dt 32:8; Ps 82:1. The satan: lit., “adversary” (as in 1 Kgs 11:14). Here a member of the heavenly court, “the accuser” (Zec 3:1). In later biblical traditions this character will be developed as the devil (Gk. diabolos, “adversary”).

* [1:15] Sabeans: from southern Arabia.

* [1:17] Chaldeans: from southern Mesopotamia; in the mid-first millennium B.C., synonymous with “Babylonians.”

* [1:21] Go back there: to the earth; cf. Gn 2:7; see note on Sir 40:1.

a. [1:1] Jb 2:3.

b. [1:6–8] Jb 2:1–3.

c. [1:6] Gn 6:2, 4; Zec 3:1; Lk 22:31; Rev 12:9.

d. [1:7] 1 Pt 5:8.

e. [1:11] Jb 2:5.

f. [1:21] Eccl 5:14; 1 Tm 6:7.

g. [1:22] Jb 2:10; Jas 5:11. (Job, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 17 is a lament of an individual unjustly attacked.

* [Psalm 17] A lament of an individual unjustly attacked. Confident of being found innocent, the psalmist cries out for God’s just judgment (Ps 17:1–5) and requests divine help against enemies (Ps 17:6–9a). Those ravenous lions (Ps 17:9b–12) should be punished (Ps 17:13–14). The Psalm ends with a serene statement of praise (Ps 17:15). The Hebrew text of Ps 17:3–4, 14 is uncertain. (Psalms, PSALM 17 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus proclaims the Greatest in the Kingdom and recognizes another exorcist.

* [9:46–50] These two incidents focus on attitudes that are opposed to Christian discipleship: rivalry and intolerance of outsiders. (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Sara Schulte-Bukowinski comments that faithful people have always struggled with questions of suffering, and that people of faith and goodwill come to different, sometimes contradictory, conclusions as we search to make sense of our experience.

Job, along with some other books and passages (notably the “suffering servant” theme in Isaiah), shows us a different take, one rooted in experiential wisdom: sometimes bad things happen to good people, and we don’t understand why. This is scary because it means no matter how righteous, holy, or good I am, I can’t insulate myself against suffering and loss. But the text reveals something else to temper this truth: God is with us (with me!) in all things.

The book of Job doesn’t explain or justify suffering, but the story does reveal something—we are not alone in it. The book ends with Job conversing with God. CONVERSING WITH GOD. In this astonishing encounter, Job accepts that there are things he cannot understand, and that God is with him even in the murkiness. This is resonant with my own prayer amid loss. I don’t hold God responsible for my losses, but I do surrender to a reality beyond my comprehension. No explanation or justification makes sense, but relationship does.

For me, this story of Job is tied closely to the paschal mystery. Like the voice of God in Job, Jesus does not explain or justify suffering (though he does challenge the idea that it is connected directly to sin). In a drastic upping of the stakes, God incarnate climbs right into it with us. He doesn’t redeem suffering and death, but he redeems us in the midst of it. I don’t have to understand; I just have to know, in the face of mystery, that I’m not alone. (Schulte-Bukowinski, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes Jesus, the Physician of souls, amputates vainglory, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)

"The passion and lust of pride attacked some of the holy apostles. The mere argument about who of them was the greatest is the mark of an ambitious person, eager to stand at the head of the rest. Christ, who did not sleep, knows how to deliver. He saw this thought in the disciple's mind, springing up, in the words of Scripture (Hebrews 12:15), like some bitter plant. He saw the weeds, the work of the wicked sower. Before it grew up tall, struck its root down deep, grew strong, and took possession of the heart, he tears up the evil by the very root...

"In what way does the Physician of souls amputate pride’s passion? How does he deliver the beloved disciple from being the prey of the enemy and from a thing hateful to God and man? "He took a child," it says, "and set it by him." He made the event a means of benefiting both the holy apostles themselves and us their successors. This illness, as a rule, preys upon all those who are in any respect superior to other people".(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 54.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winker comments on the texts for today. In the Book of Job a good man suffers and we ask: “Why does God allow it?” Job is challenged by Satan as if Satan was an attorney who as a servant of God is assessing Job’s motives. This idea of legal challenge is continued in the Book of Revelation where Satan is the accuser of our brothers. God responds “I know, but I forgive”, even in the face of strict justice. Job accepts his fate. Friar Jude comments that in 2 of 38 chapters in the Book of Job he is patient and long suffering and in the remaining chapters he is challenging God. This plea is to help understand suffering that we feel is unfair. This is almost always a universal experience. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus reminds us that to receive a child is to receive Him. Children can’t pay us back. We serve for the joy of serving. We give to those most in need like Mother Theresa in Calcutta but the apostles see the power being with Jesus, but anyone doing good is to be celebrated. When we declare the motive for generosity as “Only to be seen”, Friar Jude asks “Who are we to criticize?” Celebrate the good they are doing and learn from them. We celebrate the good and kind things our children and grandchildren do and hope to make this behaviour part of their life.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:46-50 comments that the apostles in the Gospel are searching for a kind of worldly greatness similar to what Job had before his trials. They weren’t searching for a comfortable life with lots of land and abundant resources, but they wanted the kind of prestige that Job enjoyed. And knowing how human prestige works, they knew that they had to compete against each other for it. There could be only one winner—and eleven losers.

To be fair, the apostles followed Jesus for more than just attention. They loved him and were sincerely trying to live out his teachings. But they still didn’t grasp one of his most important teachings. So Jesus had a child stand beside him while he said, “The one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest” (Luke 9:48). Greatness in the kingdom of God is not about the number of our possessions or our reputation. It’s about having the humility, detachment, and simplicity of a child. It’s about becoming like Jesus, whose greatest joy was to do his Father’s will.

Remember, God doesn’t judge you the same way the world does. His model for greatness is his Son, who didn’t grasp for greatness but who humbly gave up his life. May we all strive to become the “least”!

“Jesus, show me the way to a truly ‘great’ life!” (Meditation on Luke 9:46-50, 2026)

Father Richard Rohr introduces James Finley who describes how Thérèse of Lisieux embraced ordinariness, the beauty of the little flower, as a path to God.

Thérèse sees herself in some way as a little flower growing in God’s garden, which is why she’s sometimes called the Little Flower. She says that there is glory in the rose and the orchid and all of that, but imagine a field filled with wildflowers in the springtime—thousands and thousands of flowers, and that God knows the littleness of each one and is personally loving each one into existence. Furthermore, God knows what that little flower is and the intricacy of its design, like the subtle scent of the violet. God eternally knows the violet to be hidden with Christ in God forever, so God is eternally contemplating the little flower in God. God is completely presencing Godself in the little flower…

I think Thérèse lived in this kind of luminosity, this gentle glow. She was not an ecstatic mystic having visions, but it’s like the divinity of the simplicity of herself that she so graciously shares with us invites us into the graciousness of our own simplicity. Thérèse is stunning by the radicality of her simplicity, which brings us to the radicality and the divinity of our simplicity and how we are to live by it and to walk in it day by day. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We may think that our plea is to help understand suffering that we feel is unfair is being ignored even as we implore the Spirit for consolation in our struggle.

References

Job, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/job/1? 

Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?46 

Meditation on Luke 9:46-50. (2026, September 28). The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/09/27/1678507/ 

Psalms, PSALM 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/17?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Beauty of a Little Flower. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-beauty-of-a-little-flower/ 

Schulte-Bukowinski, S. (2026, September 28). Daily Reflection September 28, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-28-2026 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Perceived the Thought of Their Hearts. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/? 

Choosing Imperfect Humility

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time challenge us to consider humility as the ground from which we make our choices.

Humble Walking with the Lord

The Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel rejects the idea that punishment is transferred from one generation to the next.

* [18:25] The LORD’s way is not fair: this chapter rejects the idea that punishment is transferred from one generation to the next and emphasizes individual responsibility and accountability. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 25 presents expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides.

* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides. (Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians is a Plea for Unity and Humility

* [2:1–11] The admonition to likemindedness and unity (Phil 2:2–5) is based on the believers’ threefold experience with Christ, God’s love, and the Spirit. The appeal to humility (Phil 2:3) and to obedience (Phil 2:12) is rooted in christology, specifically in a statement about Christ Jesus (Phil 2:6–11) and his humbling of self and obedience to the point of death (Phil 2:8). (Philippians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the Parable of the Two Sons.

* [21:28–32] The series of controversies is interrupted by three parables on the judgment of Israel (Mt 21:28–22:14) of which this, peculiar to Matthew, is the first. The second (Mt 21:33–46) comes from Mark (12:1–12), and the third (Mt 22:1–14) from Q; see Lk 14:15–24. This interruption of the controversies is similar to that in Mark, although Mark has only one parable between the first and second controversy. As regards Matthew’s first parable, Mt 21:28–30 if taken by themselves could point simply to the difference between saying and doing, a theme of much importance in this gospel (cf. Mt 7:21; 12:50); that may have been the parable’s original reference. However, it is given a more specific application by the addition of Mt 21:31–32. The two sons represent, respectively, the religious leaders and the religious outcasts who followed John’s call to repentance. By the answer they give to Jesus’ question (Mt 21:31) the leaders condemn themselves. There is much confusion in the textual tradition of the parable. Of the three different forms of the text given by important textual witnesses, one has the leaders answer that the son who agreed to go but did not was the one who did the father’s will. Although some scholars accept that as the original reading, their arguments in favor of it seem unconvincing. The choice probably lies only between a reading that puts the son who agrees and then disobeys before the son who at first refuses and then obeys, and the reading followed in the present translation. The witnesses to the latter reading are slightly better than those that support the other.

* [21:31] Entering…before you: this probably means “they enter; you do not.”

* [21:32] Cf. Lk 7:29–30. Although the thought is similar to that of the Lucan text, the formulation is so different that it is improbable that the saying comes from Q. Came to you…way of righteousness: several meanings are possible: that John himself was righteous, that he taught righteousness to others, or that he had an important place in God’s plan of salvation. For the last, see note on Mt 3:14–15. (Matthew, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Anish Kochanichottil, SJ, comments that the “inordinate attachment” Saint Ignatius of Loyola talks about is what pulls him away from doing what is right and what is good in the sight of God.

This makes me ask myself, especially when I am unhappy, “What am I clinging to? What are my attachments? It could be a person, an idea, an expectation, power or possession.”

Today I am invited to change, to let go, to make the right decisions in order to be free and happy. The second reading reminds me that Jesus, even though was in the form of God, did not cling to equality with God. He did not cling to a good life or comfort. He emptied himself, became like one of us and died on the cross.

This self-emptying is what all of us are asked to ponder today. You and I need that trust and faith in our heavenly Father to let go, to change and to become better. (Kochanichottil, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “The Father and his two sons,” author unknown, from the 5th century A.D.

"Who is this if not the God who created all people and loves them with a fatherly affection, the God who preferred to be loved as a father rather than feared as a lord, even though he was Lord by nature? On this account, at the beginning of the commandments of the law, he did not say, 'You shall fear the Lord with all your heart' but 'you shall love the Lord with all your heart' (Deuteronomy 6:5). To elicit love is not characteristic of a lord but of a father. Of the two sons in this parable, the older one represents the Gentiles, since they come from their father Noah. The younger son represents the Jews, who come from Abraham. 'And approaching the first, he said, "Son, go and work today in my vineyard." 'Today' refers to this present age. How did he speak to his sons? He didn't address them face to face like man, but he spoke to the heart, like God. Man only utters words to the ear, but God supplies understanding to the mind." (excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 40) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winker comments on the texts for today. Ezekiel speaks about the bad one who turns to the good and the good one who turns to evil and punishment. The person is getting what he has chosen. The Philippians were liked by Paul and he teaches them to consider the other as more important than themselves and live a life of service. Jesus emptied Himself of his divinity and took the form of a slave and a human being. He is a Being in the form of God, yet he emptied Himself. Jesus took on our flesh. How much did he know? He was one like us except in sin. Friar Jude ponders if this is the exaltation, the reward, or is the cross the exaltation where we see who God truly is on the cross most clearly. In Hebrew literature citing two extremes means to include everything in between. ALL bow down to the Holy Name. Friar Jude notes this  requires us to treat It with reference too.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Philippians 2:1-11 comments that when we hear St. Paul calling us to be “of the same mind” and “united in heart,” it can seem almost impossible (Philippians 2:2). It’s hard enough staying civil and polite, but to actually be united in heart and mind? Can we even do that? Paul seems to think we can. So let’s consider how we can apply his words to our lives today.

So how can we embrace this calling? One way is to ask yourself if you should be spending less time taking in the news, political commentary, or celebrity gossip and more time serving God. The simple act of putting your energy toward listening to God and being among his people will bring down dividing walls and empower you to follow Jesus’ command to love all of your brothers and sisters.

So enjoy the benefits of our connected world, but remember to guard the true, lasting unity of your family in Christ.

“Jesus, help me to hear your call to unity and respond with love.” (Meditation on Philippians 2:1-11, 2026)

Father Richard Rohr reflects on his first encounter with the writings of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) as a young man.

It was her underlying spirituality, complemented by Francis of Assisi and Franciscanism, that got me through the seminary. It wasn’t the academic teaching I was being given by the professors, which was still tainted with legalism, and where the unspoken premise was basically, “If you’re perfect, if you do it right, God will love you.” That was the underlying assumption, and it was—and still is—utterly false. I guess I trusted Thérèse because what she wrote felt like common sense to me. Most of my confessors were legalists, and I would just quietly think to myself, “Okay, they’re going to say that, but I know it’s not true.”

It was an important antidote to my own inclination to perfectionism as a “one” on the Enneagram (although I didn’t have the language for it at the time). We “one’s” set a standard of perfection by our own self-centered definition, and so we’re always defeated. We define the rules and then we can’t live up to them. Thérèse is the best counterweight to any theology or spirituality of perfectionism. She was my liberation. I just didn’t believe in it anymore. It simply wasn’t true. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the Wisdom of the Spirit to be open to those events in life which can be opportunities to affirm our “Yes” to work in the vineyard of the Lord even if our initial response was non committal or “No”.

References

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/18? 

Kochanichottil, A. (2026, September 27). Daily Reflection September 27, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-27-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/21?28 

Meditation on Philippians 2:1-11. (2026, September 27). The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/09/27/1678507/ 

Philippians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/philippians/2? 

Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/25?4

Rohr, R. (n.d.). An Influential Teacher. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/an-influential-teacher/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Which Son Did the Father's Will? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/? 

Martyrs amid Modern Times

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Feast of ST. JEAN DE BRÉBEUF and ST. ISAAC JOGUES and Companions in Canada invite us to reflect on martyrs and modern circumstances.

Modern Martyrs for Creation

The Reading from the Book of Revelation proclaims Triumph of the Elect.

* [7:9] White robes,palm branches: symbols of joy and victory; see note on Rev 3:5.

* [7:10] Salvation comes from: literally, “(let) salvation (be ascribed) to.” A similar hymn of praise is found at the fall of the dragon (Rev 12:10) and of Babylon (Rev 19:1).

* [7:14] Time of great distress: fierce persecution by the Romans; cf. Introduction.

* [7:17] Life-giving water: literally, “the water of life,” God’s grace, which flows from Christ; cf. Rev 21:6; 22:1, 17; Jn 4:10, 14. (Revelation, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians presents The Paradox of the Ministry.

* [4:7] This treasure: the glory that he preaches and into which they are being transformed. In earthen vessels: the instruments God uses are human and fragile; some imagine small terracotta lamps in which light is carried.

* [4:8–9] A catalogue of his apostolic trials and afflictions. Yet in these the negative never completely prevails; there is always some experience of rescue, of salvation.

* [4:10–11] Both the negative and the positive sides of the experience are grounded christologically. The logic is similar to that of 2 Cor 1:3–11. His sufferings are connected with Christ’s, and his deliverance is a sign that he is to share in Jesus’ resurrection.

* [4:12–15] His experience does not terminate in himself, but in others (12, 15; cf. 2 Cor 1:4–5). Ultimately, everything is ordered even beyond the community, toward God (2 Cor 4:15; cf. 2 Cor 1:11).

* [4:13–14] Like the Psalmist, Paul clearly proclaims his faith, affirming life within himself despite death (2 Cor 4:10–11) and the life-giving effect of his experience upon the church (2 Cor 4:12, 14–15). And place us with you in his presence: Paul imagines God presenting him and them to Jesus at the parousia and the judgment; cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Rom 14:10. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke proclaims The Conditions of Discipleship.

* [9:23] Daily: this is a Lucan addition to a saying of Jesus, removing the saying from a context that envisioned the imminent suffering and death of the disciple of Jesus (as does the saying in Mk 8:34–35) to one that focuses on the demands of daily Christian existence.

(Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John implies that through his death Jesus will be accessible to all.

* [12:24] This verse implies that through his death Jesus will be accessible to all. It remains just a grain of wheat: this saying is found in the synoptic triple and double traditions (Mk 8:35; Mt 16:25; Lk 9:24; Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33). John adds the phrases (Jn 12:25) in this world and for eternal life.

* [12:25] His life: the Greek word psychē refers to a person’s natural life. It does not mean “soul,” for Hebrew anthropology did not postulate body/soul dualism in the way that is familiar to us.(John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The scapegoat foreshadowed Christ's passion”, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)

"The mystery of the passion may be seen also in another instance. According to the Mosaic law, two goats were offered. They were not different in any way from one another (Leviticus 16:7-8), but they were alike in size and appearance. Of these, one was called 'the lord,' and the other was called 'sent-away.' When the lot was cast for the one called 'lord,' it was sacrificed. The other one was sent away from the sacrifice, and therefore had the name of 'sent-away.' Who was signified by this? The Word, though he was God, was in our likeness and took the form of us sinners, as far as the nature of the flesh was concerned. The male or female goat was sacrificed for sins. Death was our desert, for we had fallen under the divine curse because of sin. When the Savior of all undertook the responsibility, he transferred to himself what was due to us and laid down his life, that we might be sent away from death and destruction."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 53) (Schwager, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rabbi Amy Eilberg who acknowledges the daily commitment required to make peace in ourselves, among others, and in the world.

Peacebuilding practice is an expression of spiritual virtues valued in most religious traditions, such as kindness, compassion, gentleness, generosity, patience, and respect for all people…. [1]

It is as simple and as challenging as this. The desire for the well-being of all people is what moves us to work for peace, and this same desire makes it possible for us to care for all people in any conflict. Though we may be more connected to one “side” or more inclined toward one viewpoint in the dispute, on a deeper level, we sense a bond of common humanity with everyone involved. We want what is best for all of them. Like a parent responding to estrangement among her children, she wants for all of them to be happy, for all of them to thrive, for all of them to be free of the pain of ruptured relationships…. The more of us adopt this goal as an intention for our lives, the more peace and harmony there will be in the world. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the action we may have to consider to be true to our Baptismal Anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.

References

John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/12 

Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9 

Revelation, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/7 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Nonviolence: A Christian Calling: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/nonviolence-a-christian-calling-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Were Astonished at the Majesty of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/? 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/4