When God seems distant to us we might pick up Job’s story, with its human drama of innocent suffering, to see how and where we fit into the tale. Are we the wife who urges her husband to curse God and die (2:9)? Are we the friends Eliphaz, Bildadand Zophar who insist that Job repent for some nameless sin even as Job proclaims his innocence, saying that he knows not what he did to incur God’s wrath? Do we act as the Satan does in the opening chapters, do we roam the earth looking for mischief to create? How do we see God? As a sarcastic tyrant or as a faithful creator who only has our good in mind? How do we react when we feel estranged from God? With petulance, or like Job who admits at last that God is great and that God is good? Do we, like Job, finally put our worries aside knowing that God will handle them? Do we intercede when asked, as Job does, for the very friends who tried to lead us astray? Do we rely on God or on ourselves? Do we spend sleepless nights worrying about our own guilt and innocence, or do we move on to pick up the threads of a broken life as best we can? What do we do? How do we pray? Where do we turn for help?
In today’s reading Job agrees to put his hand over his mouth so that he might finally listen to Yahweh, and he does this after having made a full and cogent argument to his maker. If we follow Job’s example, we understand that we are meant to wrestle with God. We are created to think, reflect and re-think. We are created to know God and to serve God; and to do this well we must ask questions. These questions are followed by enigmatic answers from God that we struggle to understand and, at first glance, we see as unsatisfactory. Later, when we practice persistence and fidelity, we begin to understand God’s message. Therefore, as we put our questions to God, we must also remain patient and authentic. For it is with waiting and honesty that we acquire wisdom, a full and nourishing wisdom that comes through lengthy days of listening, reflecting and praying.
I love to read the answer that God gives Job after all of those chapters of haranguing that go on between Job, his wife, and his friends. Finally, Yahweh speaks out of the whirlwindto ask questions with a touch of sarcasm saying: Who are you to question me? Where were you when the earth was formed, the stars set in the sky and the animals and vegetation created? Job replies that he will now be silent to listen, and as God continues, we wonder if he means to sound so much like an unfeeling tyrant? Does God not, we might ask, understand that Job has stood unjustly accused? Does Yahweh not remember that Job has been a good and faithful servant? Does God not understand the suffering and pain that Job has endured? If we read through to end of the book, we will have an answer to these questions.
Leonid Afremov: Feelings of Work
Today’s reading echoes a feeling we may have from time to time: that God just does not “get it”. There are moments when we feel as though God does not understand what it is like to be human, and it seems that the lines between guilt and innocence are blurred. If the innocent suffer along with the guilty, what is the point in being righteous and behaving well? Of course, we will understand, if we read on and if we reflect that guilt and innocence are not what God is concerned about here. Yahweh questions Job to ask him if he is prepared to be the deity who oversees a vast and complex realm. Of course, Job is not. Realizing that no human could order the universe and bring completion to such a chaotic world, Job listens to the message God gives him. Yahweh and Job end their dialog by returning to what is important; they each remain in their proper roles: loving, protecting creator and loyal, obedient creature. In this final dialog, we see that both Yahweh and Job know and express who they are and what their nature is.
Tomorrow, when God seems to be distant . . .
For more reflections on weathering the whirlwind, enter the word in the blog search bar and explore.
Adapted from a Favorite written on January 27, 2008.
Be comforted, be comforted, my people, saith your God. Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, for her evil is come to an end, her iniquity is forgiven; she hath received of the hand of the Lord double for all her sins. The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken . . . Behold the Lord God shall come with strength, and his arm shall rule. Behold his reward is with him and his work is before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and shall take them up on his bosom, and he himself shall carry them that are young . . .
From time to time we reflect on the ideas of exile and doom . . . today’s dawn brings consolation.
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and weighed the heavens in his palm? Who has poised with three fingers the bulk of the earth, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
After the darkness . . . comes the light . . . more revealing and more wonderful than we have ever imagined.
Do you not know? Hath it not been heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood the foundations of the earth? . . . And to whom have ye likened me, or made me equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see the one who has created these things . . . not one of them was missing.
The holy ones who wait and watch and witness . . . will receive their comfort . . . a consolation more intense and enduring than they have ever dreamed.
Youths shall faint and labor, and young men shall fall by infirmity. But they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall take wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Last Christmas Day we read and reflected upon the beginning of Romans 11 in which St. Paul brings to us, God’s Remnant, the message of our creator’s Providenceand Fidelity. He reminds us that God understands the human condition and that he sends us his grace to overcome our fears and the darkness. God also understands rupture and the deepest places of the heart that suffer from the pain of disconnection and separation . . . and God wants to heal this . . . to call us back . . . to gather us in his arms. God wants to give us his Consolation.God is the Forgiving Father of the Prodigal Son story. We may be either the Straying Child who has spent his gifts carelessly, or the Remaining Child who is jealous and bitter at the Father’s generosity toward those who return. Or perhaps we have found a place where we can numb ourselves . . . remain aloof . . . protect ourselves from the suffering and undergoing of life that we are meant to experience. Or maybe we are Children of the Light . . . who struggle with self . . . who rise to the undergoing . . . who falter and stumble but who turn to God always as the first and last source and sustenance. Most likely we are all of these . . . and we do well when we reflect that our true Consolation rests in openness to reconciliation with God and with others. We do well to rely on God’s Providence and Fidelity and meditate on this idea, as we do on Christmas Day each year, that we are to be God to one another.
So on this Sunday of joy amidst darkness and waiting we, like God, are to abide with those who have broken faith with us. We are to remain faithful, remain present but without participating in any dysfunction. We are to be hopeful, to be open to the potential of something greater which God sends through his grace rather than our works. We are to abide withoutfear, because God is with us, especially in our moments of deepest terror. And we are to remain merciful, imitating Christ, because God always comes to his remnant, to those who wait, and hope and seek.
We have looked at the verses that precede and follow today’s citation, reflecting on friendship and betrayal, on constancy and convolution. Today we see Jonathan Maccabeus experiencing success as he follows the call of God. He is later betrayed, but his betrayer suffers a sad end. We might learn about the kind of patience needed for fidelity when we ponder this story; and we may better understand the need for fortitude and hope when we follow God’s call. Jonathan’s victory in today’s Noontimecomes from his faith in a God who does not abandon his creatures. Jonathan’s true triumph is not the battles he wins, but his commitment to the promise he has made to God. His true reward is not the fame of the battle won, but the serenity of knowing that all is best and all is well when our work is placed in God’s hands.
From today’s Evening Prayer in MAGNIFICAT:
Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet you believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:8
Whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ. Philippians 3: 7, 12
Although Jonathan did not see God, he loved God and followed his calling, even to death.
Whatever gain or loss Jonathan had, he had in God.
May we too, be as constant and as hope-filled as Jonathan, even in the face of the greatest odds.
Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Evening.” MAGNIFICAT. 16.11 (2010). Print.
Written on November 16, 2010 and posted today as a Favorite.
This Chapter in Nehemiah’s story is interesting. The good work he is doing brings suspicion, envy and even anger from certain quarters. What does this builder do? He refuses to put aside the great work he is doing, and when her finds himself in a precarious position he does not hide; but rather, he prays. All the forces of Sanballat, Tobiah and Gesham are no match for this man and his God. The prophetess Noadiah holds no sway over the builder. We hear the story in Nehemiah’s voice.
Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. (NSRV)
When Nehemiah declines to neglect the great work he is about, his enemies persist.
Sanvalat and Geshem sent me a message which said, “Come, let’s meet together in one of the villages of the Ono Valley.” But they were planning to do me harm; so I sent them messengers with this message: “I’m too busy with important work to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” They kept sending this sort of message to me — four times — and I answered them the same way. (CJB)
But Nehemiah sees through the ruse.
I knew they were scheming to hurt me so I sent messengers back with this: “I’m doing a great work; I can’t come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?” (MSG)
Nehemiah sees their deceit.
They were trying to frighten us into stopping work. I prayed, “But now, God, make me strong!” (GNT)
Nehemiah remains firm.
I answered, “I’m not the kind of person that runs and hides. Do you think I would try to save my life by hiding in the Temple? I won’t do it.” (GNT)
Nehemiah asks help of the one who brings good out of harm.
“O my God, don’t let Tobiah and Sanballat get by with all the mischief they’ve done. And the same goes for the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to undermine my confidence.” (MSG)
Nehemiah remains in the arms of God and does not fear the enemies who unite against him.
After fifty-two days of work the entire wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. When our enemies in the surrounding nations heard this, they realized that they had lost face, since everyone knew that the work had been done with God’s help . . . People would talk in front of me about all the good deeds Tobiah had done and would tell him everything I said. And he kept sending me letters to try to frighten me. (GNT)
Nehemiah lives out his trust in the Lord, knowing that he is doing the Lord’s great work.
Tomorrow, an assembly of clans.
When we use the scripture link to compare translations of this story, we come to understand the value of fidelity, steadfastness, and trust in the Lord.
“God is a riverbed of mercy that underlies all the flotsam and jetsam that flows over it and soon passes away. It is vast, silent, restful, and resourceful, and it receives and also releases all the comings and goings. It is awareness itself (as opposed to judgement), and awareness is not the same as ‘thinking’. It refuses to be pulled into the emotional and mental tugs-of-war that form most of human life. To look out from this untouchable silence is what we mean by contemplation”. (Rohr 187)
Richard Rohr, OFM, tells us that if there is one characteristic to assign to God, it is mercy. This life-giving quality of forgiveness, fidelity, and love is God’s signature characteristic. Rohr quotes St. Teresa of Ávila from her book THE INTERIOR CASTLE. “The soul is spacious, plentiful, and its amplitude is impossible to exaggerate . . . the sun her radiates to every part . . . and nothing can diminish its beauty”. Rohr continues, “This is your soul. It is God-in-you. This is your True Self”. (Rohr 187)
Pope Francis tells us that THE NAME OF GOD IS MERCY in his signature work published in 2016. He, like Rohr and St. Teresa, reminds us that in order to understand and experience mercy, we must first acknowledge that we are in need of mercy ourselves. Just as Jesus forgives the condemned woman in John 8, God wants to forgive each of us. Just as Jesus does not reproach the woman in John 8, God refuses to reproach each of us. Just as Jesus contemplates the possibility that God’s kingdom is now, God gives us the gift of mercy and insists that the kingdom is here.
“We live in a society that encourages us to discard the habit of recognizing and assuming our responsibilities: It is always others who make mistakes. It is always others who are immoral. It’s always someone else’s fault, never our own”. (Pope Francis, 2)
We live in a place and time when blame and fault are assigned, credit is taken, and deep divisions grow. We live in a place and time when mercy and love are needed, stories are believed, and bridges are built over deep chasms. St. Teresa, Rohr and Pope Francis tell us that God is a riverbed of mercy. They remind us that God’s generosity and love have no bounds. Once we begin to contemplate God as seen through the actions of Jesus, we know all of this to be true. Once we allow God’s Spirit to enter our lives, we allow ourselves to slide into the mighty flow of mercy that washes away all that separates us.
Richard Rohr, OFM. A Spring Within Us: A Book of Daily Meditations. Albuquerque, NM: CAC Publishing, 2016.
Pope Francis, THE NAME OF GOD IS MERCY: A Conversation with Andrea Tornielli
The writer of the opening Chapters of Proverbs treats us as a close associate.
Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you; take to heart my commands.
They’ll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well.
We are warned to keep our feet on the ground and our hearts open.
Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.
A close relationship with God is paramount for one who wants to be eternally at peace.
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; God’s the one who will keep you on track.
Humility is a trait we will want to nurture.
Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!
The rewards of a trusting relationship with God go beyond our spiritual health.
Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.
The rewards of practicing fidelity are greater and more powerful than we have imagined.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under God’s loving correction.
It’s the child God loves that God corrects; a parent’s delight is behind all this.
God’s loving presence in our lives may at times be difficult . . . but it will also be gratifying, enlightening, and transforming. When we consider these words, we recognize that in truth we have much to learn. No matter our status, power or wealth, we do not know all.
When we spend time with other translations of these verses, we gain understand the power of humility, fidelity and love.
As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
The Book of Judges, as we have seen, brings us accounts of God’s fidelity in the face of the faithful’s repeated and blatant infidelity. Human nature has not changed over the millennia and so we may want to reassure ourselves that God indeed sends heroes to save us, despite our lack of constancy.
Today’s chapter recalls the leader Joshua who leads the Israelites into Canaan and establishes the twelve tribes in the land promised to them by Yahweh. When we see how the people turn to pagan gods to later turn and repent, we might also see our own repeated cycle. We become comfortable, then turn to our own pagan gods of social media, status seeking, and comfort zones. We encounter obstacles only to realize that while God helps us through our daily turmoil, God also sustains our eternal selves.
As for me and my family, we will serve God. (Joshua 24:15)
Of course, Yahweh abides – as God always does. But what we notice today is that once the generation who trekked from bondage to freedom has passed away, once all of these people who suffered in the desert are gone, once they have been nourished and fed and can relax a bit, the Israelites fall back into the old patterns and habits of sin. As we progress in our own pilgrimage from desert to promise, we might reflect on the heroes who intervene for us at just the right moments. And we might turn and return to God, to take up where we have left off in our journey home.
When we revive the old tales of salvation, we remember our own stories. Each time God saves us, heals, transforms and lifts us up, we might want to record our transformation and give thanks to God. We might also share our stories of redemption so that others might remember God’s love and generosity.
As for me and my household, we will worship the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
As a young man, Joshua joins the great Exodus from Egypt and rises to second-in-command as the twelve tribes journey through the desert. Serving Yahweh, he shows his strengths as a practical leader. Although we can imagine that Joshua had moments of doubt, scripture gives us no story of his turning away from the Lord. Always serving, Joshua remains constant, persistent and generous, ready to do what Yahweh asks of him. Always moving forward, Joshua remains hopeful, courageous and open to Yahweh’s call. Today we reflect on how we might look at Joshua to discern what we might learn, and how we too, might serve as one of God’s heroes.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
Adapted from a reflection written on February 22, 2007.
The Noontimes 