The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to continue to trust in Providence in situations where we endure loss and rejection.
In the reading from the Book of Job, he curses the day he was born.
* [3:1] His day: that is, the day of his birth.
* [3:17] There: in death.
* [3:23] Hemmed in: contrast the same verb as used in 1:10. (Job, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 88 is a prayer for help in despondency.
* [Psalm 88] A lament in which the psalmist prays for rescue from the alienation of approaching death. Each of the three stanzas begins with a call to God (Ps 88:2, 10, 14) and complains of the death that separates one from God. The tone is persistently grim.
* [88:4–8] In imagination the psalmist already experiences the alienation of Sheol. (Psalms, PSALM 88 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, a Samaritan village refuses to receive Jesus.
* [9:51–55] Just as the Galilean ministry began with a rejection of Jesus in his hometown, so too the travel narrative begins with the rejection of him by Samaritans. In this episode Jesus disassociates himself from the attitude expressed by his disciples that those who reject him are to be punished severely. The story alludes to 2 Kgs 1:10, 12 where the prophet Elijah takes the course of action Jesus rejects, and Jesus thereby rejects the identification of himself with Elijah.
* [9:51] Days for his being taken up: like the reference to his exodus in Lk 9:31 this is probably a reference to all the events (suffering, death, resurrection, ascension) of his last days in Jerusalem. He resolutely determined: literally, “he set his face.”
* [9:52] Samaritan: Samaria was the territory between Judea and Galilee west of the Jordan river. For ethnic and religious reasons, the Samaritans and the Jews were bitterly opposed to one another (see Jn 4:9). (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Tamora Whitney quotes REM “Everybody hurts, sometimes.” It’s natural to want someone to blame. And it’s easy to want to give up. REM says, “well hang on, don’t let yourself go.”
Job, who really has a very bad time, wishes he was never even born to live through such suffering, but he doesn’t blame, and he doesn’t give up, and he knows if it doesn’t get better here on earth, it will get better after. Job’s life does actually get better here on earth (although I don’t think he is made whole – his children die and even though he ends up with more children, they are not the ones who died. You can’t get that back) and he lives a long life seeing those children and their children grow up. But he knows throughout that this world is not his, these things are not his, and his real home is where he will see God. (Whitney, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus gave power and authority to his apostles,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"It would be false to affirm that our Savior did not know what was about to happen, because he knows all things. He knew, of course, that the Samaritans would not receive his messengers. There can be no doubt of this. Why then did he command them to go before him? It was his custom to benefit diligently the holy apostles in every possible way, and because of this, it was his practice sometimes to test them... What was the purpose of this occurrence? He was going up to Jerusalem, as the time of his passion was already drawing near. He was about to endure the scorn of the Jews. He was about to be destroyed by the scribes and Pharisees and to suffer those things that they inflicted upon him when they went to accomplish all of violence and wicked boldness. He did not want them to be offended when they saw him suffering. He also wanted them to be patient and not to complain greatly, although people would treat them rudely. He, so to speak, made the Samaritans' hatred a preparatory exercise in the matter. They had not received the messengers... For their benefit, he rebuked the disciples and gently restrained the sharpness of their wrath, not permitting them to grumble violently against those who sinned. He rather persuaded them to be patient and to cherish a mind that is unmovable by anything like this."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 56) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:51-56 asks how often does God’s justice look like mercy instead! In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus didn’t just rebuke the disciples for asking if they should destroy the village. He also wanted them to realize that God is merciful. Maybe these Samaritans just needed more time to understand that Jesus was the Messiah. It’s even possible that after Jesus’ death and resurrection, some became his loyal followers (Acts 8:4-8).
In the end, the disciples learned the lessons that Jesus wanted to teach them. As they went out to preach the gospel after Jesus had ascended into heaven, they were slandered and persecuted. Most were martyred. But like Jesus, they didn’t fight back or retaliate. They trusted in God’s justice and mercy instead.
Today, think of a situation where you’ve been tempted to retaliate. Then pray for the person or people who hurt or rejected you. Ask the Lord to be just as merciful to them as he has been to you!
“Lord, help me to love my enemies!” (Meditation on Luke 9:51-56, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the bet that Satan made that Job would curse God, but he only curses his lot in life. The great antipathy between Jews and Samaritans meant that hospitality was not offered to Jesus and His disciples. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus seeks to forgive and build up people and not to destroy them.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how Francis, Clare, and later, Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), found a direct experience of God through humility. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun who became the youngest, least educated, and most quickly designated doctor of the Church, sought this downward path, which she called “a new way” or her “little way.”
Thérèse—lovingly called the Little Flower by most Catholics—was right, on both counts, since her way of life was indeed very new for most people and very “little” instead of the usual upward-bound Christian agenda. Doing “all the smallest things and doing them through love” was the goal for Thérèse. [1] The common path of most Christianity by her time had become based largely on perfectionism and legalism, making the good news anything but good or inviting for generations of believers. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We may face trials and troubles on our journey that will require us to trust in the Spirit to reveal truth, goodness and love that counteracts feelings of rejection and loss.
References
Job, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/job/3?1
Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?51
Meditation on Luke 9:51-56. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/10/01/1093683/
Psalms, PSALM 88 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/88?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Embracing the Little Way. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/embracing-the-little-way/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus' Face Was Set toward Jerusalem. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=oct1
Whitney, T. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/100124.html
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