The Book of Job brings the opportunity to meditate on parts
of the Mystery of God which stretch our mind and imagination. The text in the
Roman Catholic Lectionary today is a monologue wherein Job wrestles with his
understanding of his nature as a good man and the mystery of how he must be
seen differently in the eyes of God, if the preaching of his friends is true.
Friar Jude Winkler comments that the friends of Job are relying on the script
they know from the Wisdom literature that God punishes sinners. The consolation
and support we try to bring to others as friends can reduce to prescriptions for
them to “get better”. The limits of our love can be contrasted with the
limitless love of God. The truth that God is love, and as Job observes, is
Creator and Entity of scope beyond human understanding naturally leaves us
speechless and humbled. This position of humility opens our heart to allow the
possibilities and progress of our existence to be entrusted to God. The
psalmist today seems to be less resolved than Job. Fear, which is the opposite
of love, can be a strong motivation to call out to God. Great love and great
suffering have been proposed by Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his book about the 23rd
Psalm, The Lord is my Shepherd, as
well established paths to intimacy with the Divine. The Gospel of Luke reminds
us of the commitment to Love. When our experience informs us about love, we
recall that the truly beloved draws us to them without hesitation. At our best
as lovers, they become our goal. Jesus appears to respond harshly to the man
who seeks to bury his father before continuing to journey with Him. Friar Jude
instructs that Jewish practice was to bury the body on the day of death and
wait a year to retrieve the bones of the deceased to complete the burial
process. The desire to put off communion with the beloved until another year is
not the commitment which will make a disciple who trusts and follows not on a
schedule or when convenient but driven as a lover in pursuit of constant Presence.
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