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Job |
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Introduction |
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The Book of Job, named after its
protagonist, is an exquisite dramatic
poem which treats of the problem of the
suffering of the innocent, and of
retribution.
The contents of the book, together with
its artistic structure and elegant
style, place it among the literary
masterpieces of all time.
Job, an oriental chieftain, pious and
upright, richly endowed in his own
person and in domestic prosperity,
suffers a sudden and complete reversal
of fortune.
He loses his
property and his children; a
loathsome disease afflicts his body; and
sorrow oppresses his soul. Nevertheless, Job
does not complain against |
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God. When some friends visit him to
condole with him, Job protests his innocence and
does not understand why he is afflicted. He curses
the day of his birth and longs for death to bring
an end to his sufferings.
The debate which
ensues consists of three cycles of
speeches. Job's friends insist that his
plight can only be a punishment for
personal wrongdoing and an invitation
from God to repentance. Job rejects
their inadequate explanation and calls
for a response from God himself. At this
point the speeches of a youth named
Elihu (Job 32-37) interrupt the
development. -
USCCB, NAB |
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In the land of Uz lives a blameless
and upright man named Job who fears
God and avoids evil. He has seven
sons and three daughters. His riches
are greater than those of any man in
the East.
His sons take turns giving feasts,
sending invitations to their three
sisters to eat and drink with them.
After each round of these feasts Job
purifies and sanctifies them fearing
for their salvation, so that God may
pardon their sins that they might
have committed.
One day, when the sons of God come
to present themselves before the
LORD, Satan also comes among them.
The LORD asks Satan where he came
from and Satan tells the LORD
that he came from roaming the earth and
patrolling it. |
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And the LORD asks Satan if he noticed his
servant Job, of whom the LORD tells Satan
that there is no one on earth like him,
blameless and upright, fearing God and
avoiding evil.
But Satan answers the LORD that Job is
God-fearing only because the LORD has
surrounded him and his family and all that
he has with His protection. Satan continues
that the LORD has blessed the work of his
hands, and his livestock are spread over the
land. Satan then says that if the LORD
withdraws all that Job has, he will surely
blaspheme Him. |
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And so the LORD allows Satan to put Job
to the test but the LORD warns Satan not
to lay a hand upon his person. So Satan
goes forth from the presence of the
LORD.
Then a series of messengers arrive to
report to Job a different of calamities.
They report that Job has lost his
riches, his livestock, his house, and
then his children.
In sorrow Job begins to tear his cloak
and cut off his hair. Then he casts himself
prostrate upon the ground, and declares,
"Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and
naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and
the LORD |
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has taken away; blessed be the name of
the LORD!"
In all this Job does not sin, nor does he
say anything disrespectful of God. |
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Once again the sons of God come to
present themselves before the LORD, and
Satan also comes with them. And the LORD
tells Satan that there is no one on
earth like Job, faultless and upright,
fearing God and avoiding evil. The LORD
tells Satan that Job still holds fast to
his innocence although Satan incited the
LORD to ruin him without cause.
But Satan tells the LORD that if He
brings Job great suffering and pain
surely he will blaspheme the LORD.
And the LORD tells Satan that Job is in
his power but he must spare his life. So
Satan goes forth from the presence of
the LORD and afflicts Job with severe
boils from the soles of his feet to the
crown of his head.
Upon seeing him suffer, his wife tells
Job to curse God and die. But Job
reproaches her and asks, “We accept good
things from God; and should we not
accept evil?” Through all these Job does
not say anything sinful of the LORD. |
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Three of Job's friends hear of all the
misfortune that had come upon him -
Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuh,
and Zophar from Naamath. They leave
their lands to meet and journey together
to give him sympathy and comfort.
But when, at a distance, they lift up
their eyes and do not recognize him,
they begin to weep aloud in sorrow. Then
they sit down upon the ground with him
for seven days and seven nights, without
speaking to him; for they see how great
his suffering is.
After this, Job speaks and complains
about his misery, cursing the day he was
born.
Then in turn each of his friends speaks
telling Job that the LORD will not
strike an innocent man. They believe
that Job is being punished by God for
his sins. |
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After each of his friends speaks Job answers
and proclaims his innocence. However, they
tell Job that God always rewards the good
and punishes evil. However, Job still
professes his innocence and he refuses to
curse God’s name.
In his misery Job then expresses hatred for
his life and demands God to let him know why
He opposes him. |
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Then the three men stop to answer Job,
because he is righteous in his own eyes.
But Elihu, son of Barachel the Buzite,
who had been silent all along, speaks
angrily to Job for considering himself
rather than God to be in the right, and
to the three friends because they had
not found a good answer and had not
condemned Job.
Elihu speaks strongly of God’s power,
redemptive salvation and absolute
rightness in His ways. He rebukes Job
for claiming his innocence, and yet God
is seeking to destroy him like an enemy.
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He continues that the fact that Job claims
that God is against him for no reason is in
itself rebelling against God since he
rejects what God is giving him. He begs Job
to repent and not add rebellion to his sin
by brushing off their arguments and
addressing many words to God. He brings up
Job’s arrogance of claiming being a just man
and demanding to argue his case before God.
Elihu then reminds Job that everything is
because of God. He it is who changes things
according to His plans, in their task upon
the surface of the earth, whether for
punishment or mercy, as he commands.
He then begs Job to listen and consider the
wondrous works of God, and that His great
justice owes no one an accounting.
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Then the LORD addresses Job out of the
storm and says, “Who is this that
obscures divine plans with words of
ignorance?” The LORD then asks Job where
he was when He founded the earth. He
asks Job who measured and determined the
size of the world, and who laid its
foundation. Then the LORD asks if a
critic should argue with the Almighty.
Then Job answers the LORD and says that
he is of little account, and that he
cannot answer Him. He regrets having |
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spoken because of his miseries and that he
will not do so again. He then disowns all
that he said and repents in dust and ashes.
And it comes to pass after the LORD had
spoken these words to Job, that the LORD
rebukes Eliphaz and his friends for they did
not speak rightly concerning Him.
The LORD then tells them to take seven
bullocks and seven rams, and go to Job, and
offer up a holocaust for themselves. He
tells them to let Job pray for them; for his
prayer He will accept not to punish them
severely. |
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Then Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad
the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite,
do as the LORD had commanded them. And
the LORD accepts the intercession of
Job.
Also, the LORD restores the prosperity
of Job, after he had prayed for his
friends, giving Job twice as much as he
had before.
Then all his brethren and his sisters
come to him, and all his former
acquaintances, and they dine with him in
his house. They condole with him and
comfort him for all the evil which the
LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave
him a piece of money and a gold ring.
And the LORD blesses Job with even more
that what he had before. He also blesses
him seven sons and three daughters, of
whom he calls the first Jemimah, the
second Keziah, and the third
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Keren-happuch.
In all the land no other women are as
beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their
father gives them an inheritance among their
brethren.
After this, Job lives a hundred and forty
years; and he sees his children, his
grandchildren, and even his
great-grandchildren.
Then Job dies old and full of years. |
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From the Vatican |
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Welcome Human Life as a Gift from Beginning to End
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On Sunday, 3 February,
Pro-Life Day in Italy, before praying the
Angelus with the pilgrims in St Peter's
Square, the Holy Father asked the faithful to
pray for men and women religious, the defense
of life and
to experience Lent as an
authentic time of conversion. The following is
a translation of the Pope's
Reflection in Italian. |
Dear Brothers and
Sisters,
Today I would like to entrust various intentions
to your prayers. In the first place, remembering
that yesterday, the liturgical Feast of the
Presentation of the Lord, we celebrated the
World Day of Consecrated Life, I invite you to
pray for those whom Christ calls to follow him
more closely with a special consecration. Our
gratitude goes to these brothers and sisters of
ours who dedicate themselves with the vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience to the total
service of God and the Church. May the Blessed
Virgin obtain many holy vocations to the
consecrated life, which constitutes a precious
treasure for the Church and for the world.
Another prayer
intention is offered to us by the Pro-Life Day,
being celebrated in Italy today, whose theme is
"Serving Life". I greet and thank all who are
gathered here in St Peter's Square in order to
witness to their commitment to defend and
promote life and to reassert that "a people's
civilization is measured by its capacity to
serve life" (Message of the Italian Bishops'
Conference for the 30th National Pro-Life Day).
Love and
serve life
May each one,
according to his own possibilities,
professionalism and competence, always feel
impelled to love and serve life from its
beginning to its natural end. In fact, welcoming
human life as a gift to be respected, protected
and promoted is a commitment of everyone, all
the more so when it is weak and needs care and
attention, both before birth and in its terminal
phase. I join the Italian Bishops in encouraging
all those who, with an effort but also with joy,
discreetly and with great dedication, assist
elderly or disabled relatives and those who
regularly give part of their time to help those
people of every age whose lives are tried by so
many different forms of poverty.
Let us also pray
that Lent, which begins next Wednesday with the
Rite of Ashes - which I will celebrate, as I do
every year, in the Basilica of Santa Sabina on
the Aventine - may be a time of authentic
conversion for all Christians, called to bear an
increasingly authentic and courageous witness to
their faith. Let us entrust these prayer
intentions to Our Lady. From yesterday until the
end of 11 February, the Memorial of Our Lady of
Lourdes and the 150th anniversary of the
Apparitions, it is possible to receive a Plenary
Indulgence, applicable to the deceased, on the
usual conditions - Confession, Communion and
prayer for the Pope's intentions - and by
praying before a blessed image of Our Lady
of Lourdes exposed for public veneration.
The elderly and
the sick may obtain the Indulgence through
heartfelt prayer. May Mary, Mother and Star of
Hope, light us on our way and make us ever more
faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
After the Angelus
the Holy Father appealed for peace in Kenya,
Iraq and Colombia:
I invite you to join our brothers and sisters of
Kenya - some of whom are here in St Peter's
Square - in praying for reconciliation, justice
and peace in their Country. As I assure them all
of my closeness, I hope that the efforts for
mediation now under way will succeed and,
through the good will and cooperation of all,
will lead to a rapid solution of the conflict
which has already taken
too heavy a toll of victims.
Wickedness, with
its load of suffering, seems to know no limits
in Iraq, as we learn from the tragic news in
these days. I once again raise my voice on
behalf of that harshly tried people and invoke
God's peace for it.
I never cease to
raise fervent prayers to God for Colombia where
for a long time many sons and daughters of this
beloved Country have suffered from extortion,
kidnapping and the violent loss of their loved
ones. I ask the Lord to end this inhuman
suffering once and for all and that they may
find paths of reconciliation, mutual respect and
sincere harmony, thus restoring brotherhood and
solidarity, the solid foundations necessary for
just progress and the building of lasting peace.
In my Message for
the recent World Day of Peace, I stressed the
fact that it is in the family that one learns
the vocabulary of civil coexistence and
discovers human values. Over the next few days,
the festivities for the Lunar New Year will see
families in various Asian Countries gathered in
joy. I wish them all every good and prosperity,
and I hope that they will be able to preserve
and to make the most of these beautiful and
fruitful traditions of family life, for the
benefit of their respective Nations and those
countries in which they are currently living.
I wish everyone a
good Sunday.
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First
Sunday of Lent |
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This is from the
St. Vincent de Paul website, on the Gospel
of
John,
Mt
4:1-11,
for
The First Sunday of
Lent. |
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Reflection: |
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We
are never immune to temptation; it is real. But
temptation always brings choice,
decision, and greater self-knowledge. In the case
of the Son of God, his choice was also
between God and Satan, his decision was to be
faithful to God’s Law and revelation, and
his greater self-knowledge led him out of the
desert to begin his public ministry. In our daily
living we must place our temptations and the
choices within the context of the commandment to
love God and neighbor. This is Lent’s challenge
and invitation. (Living Liturgy, p. 64).
(Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration, and Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities, Year A, 2008 ,
by C.PP.S. Joyce Ann Zimmerman (Author), Thomas A.
Greisen (Author), S.N.D. de N. Kathleen Harmon
(Author), M.S. Thomas L. Leclerc (Author), p.64) |
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Vincentian Meditation:
Frederic Ozanam suffered temptations against his
faith, and he was literally brought to
his knees. Thanks to a friend, we know that: “In
the darkest hour of trial, which had
become for him actual pain, the young student
appealed to the mercy of God for light and
peace. He threw himself on his knees before the
Most Blessed Sacrament, and there in
tears and in all humility, he promised Our Lord
that, if He would deign to make the lamp
of truth shine in his sight, he would consecrate
his life to it’s defence.” –Bl. Frederic Ozanam
Praying With Frederic Ozanam (Companions for the Journey Series)
, p.50- Paperback, by Ronald Cm Ramson (Author) |
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References:
Praying With Frederic Ozanam (Companions for the Journey Series)
- Paperback, by Ronald Cm Ramson (Author)
Praying With Louise De Marillac (Companions for the Journey Series)
by Audrey Gibson (Author), Kieran Kneaves (Author)
Praying with Vincent de Paul (Companions for the Journey) ,
2004, by Thomas McKenna (Author)
Seasons in Spirituality: Reflections on Vincentian Spirituality in Today's World ,
1997, by Robert P. Maloney
Deep Down Things: Selected Writing,
1995, by Richard McCullen
Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration, and Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities, Year A, 2008,
by C.PP.S. Joyce Ann Zimmerman (Author), Thomas A.
Greisen (Author), S.N.D. de N. Kathleen Harmon
(Author), M.S. Thomas L. Leclerc (Author)
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In These
Times |
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Does religion make people
better or worse |
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This is the opening
paragraphs of an article written by
Dennis Prager,
a syndicated talk show host and conservative
thinker, posted in, among others,
Townhall.com,
that I really want you all to read.
He
is also the author of the book
Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature
Repair Manual ,
which, as the title says, is a repair manual and
explains why happy people brighten the rooms and
relationships they enter.
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Posted in
Townhall.com:
September 5, 2006
I
have devoted much of my life to arguing that
religion is the finest vehicle for individuals and
societies to become decent, good, moral (you
choose the term you prefer). For example, in 2005,
I devoted 24 columns to making the case for
Judeo-Christian values as the finest system of
values ever devised.
However, this advocacy of religion comes with two
caveats.
First, the claimed superiority of Judeo-Christian
values in no way means that all believing Jews and
Christians are good people, let alone better than
all other people. There have always been and there
are today morally superior individuals in every
religion. And there are morally superior
individuals among atheists and people of no
organized religion.
Second, there is no religion that has not made, or
at least enabled, some of its adherents to be
morally worse than they would have been had they
not adopted that religion.
So our question is not whether there are good or
bad people in every religion. The question is
whether any given religion is likely to make one
who believes in it a better or worse person than
he would have been had he not believed in that
religion.
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For the complete article,
please follow this link -
Townhall.com: Does religion make people better
or worse. |
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Achieving that happiness won't be easy,
though: to Prager, it requires a continuing
process of counting your blessings and giving
up any expectations that life is supposed to
be wonderful. "Can we decide to be satisfied
with what we have?" he asks. "A poor man who
can make himself satisfied with his portion
will be happier than a wealthy man who does
not allow himself to be satisfied."
Prager echoes many conservative political
commentators in complaining that too many
people today see themselves as victims; he
submits that the only way to achieve your
desires is to take responsibility for your
life rather than blaming others. Whether or
not you agree with that view, if you're
willing to put some thought into achieving a
happier outlook, you will find plenty to mull
over in Happiness Is a Serious Problem. |
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First
Sunday of Lent
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4 |
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February 10,
2008
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First Reading From the Book of Genesis: |
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Gn 2:7-9;
3:1-7 |
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The
LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and
so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the
east, and placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out
of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the
animals that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell
you not to eat from any of the trees in the
garden?”
The
woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the
garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you
die.’”
But
the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die! No, God knows well
that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be
opened and you will be like gods who know what is
good and what is evil.”
The
woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining
wisdom.
So
she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she
also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then
the eyes of both of them were opened, and they
realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig
leaves together and made loincloths for
themselves. |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms:
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Ps
51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17 |
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R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my
offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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Second Reading from the Letter to the
Romans |
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Rom
5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19 |
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Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world, and through
sin, death, and thus death came to all men,
inasmuch as all sinned— for up to the time of the
law, sin was in the world, though sin is not
accounted when there is no law.
But
death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those
who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass
of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to
come.
But the gift is not like the transgression. For if
by the transgression of the one, the many died,
how much more did the grace of God and the
gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow
for the many.
And the gift is not like the result of the one who
sinned. For after one sin there was the judgment
that brought condemnation; but the gift, after
many transgressions, brought acquittal.
For if, by the transgression of the one, death
came to reign through that one, how much more will
those who receive the abundance of grace and of
the gift of justification come to reign in life
through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all, so, through one
righteous act, acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of the one
man the many were made sinners, so, through the
obedience of the one, the many will be made
righteous. |
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Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world, and through
sin, death, and thus death came to all men,
inasmuch as all sinned.
For if, by the transgression of the one, death
came to reign through that one, how much more will
those who receive the abundance of grace and of
the gift of justification come to reign in life
through the one Jesus Christ.
In
conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all, so, through one
righteous act, acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of the one
man the many were made sinners, so, through the
obedience of the one, the many will be made
righteous. |
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Reading From
the Gospel of Matthew:
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Mt
4:1-11 |
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At that time Jesus
was led by the Spirit into the desert to be
tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and
forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.
The
tempter approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, command that these
stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made
him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said
to him,
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself
down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the
test.”
Then the devil took
him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in
their magnificence,
and he said to him,
"All these I shall give to
you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him,
“Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him. |
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References |
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Praying With Frederic Ozanam (Companions for the Journey Series)
- Paperback, by Ronald Cm Ramson (Author) |
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Praying With Louise De Marillac (Companions for the Journey Series)
by Audrey Gibson (Author), Kieran Kneaves
(Author) |
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Praying with Vincent de Paul (Companions for the
Journey)
2004, by Thomas McKenna
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The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force ....
.... (Paperback)
by
Rodney Stark (Author)
From the Publisher
"... this account of Christianity's remarkable
growth within the Roman Empire |
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is
already the subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who
has puzzled over Christianity's rise to
dominance... must read it," ...
Read
the first page. |
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Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration, and
Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities, Year A, 2008 (Paperback) by C.PP.S. Joyce Ann
Zimmerman (Author), Thomas A. Greisen (Author),
S.N.D. de N. Kathleen Harmon (Author), M.S.
Thomas L. Leclerc (Author) |
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"Perfect for home use or to prepare for weekly
liturgy . . . It includes help for the
celebration, ideas for catechesis on the
particular event, and ways to understand the
readings more deeply. Finally, it includes
sample questions from which priests, deacons,
lay groups, ministers and others can jump off
into deeper discussion." |
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Straight Answers, Answers to 100 Questions about
the Catholic Faith
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