THE LORD GIVES AND TAKES AWAY


MONDAY, TWENTY SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Job 1:6-22; Ps 17:1-3,6-7; Lk 9:46-50

Anyone who welcomes Me welcomes the Father

The book of Job gives us a glimpse into the inner workings of God's justice as it applies to our lives here on earth. Many Christians are ignorant of the fact that we have a formidable enemy who fights dirty; the devil is the enemy of our salvation. Since we are not to be afraid of the devil because of the precious blood of Jesus Christ that has ransomed us from the bondage of the devil, we must not be ignorant of his existence and continuous battle for the ruin of our souls. The devil's ultimate weapon against us is falsehood, or lies. Through delusions and manipulation of our senses and imagination, he attempts to lure us away from believing and living the word of God. When that fails because of our constant reading and meditations on the word of God, he goes after our attachments to created things. He uses our attachment to creatures to try to sway our affiliation to God. The most important thing to know in this regard is that the devil and his cohorts cannot change anything in our lives without God’s permission.

The devil therefore prays, appealing to divine justice to get permission to harm us or afflict us through our attachments to creatures. We see this in the story of Job. Satan insinuated that Job’s righteousness is not deep, but due to the material blessings God has given him. “‘Yes’ Satan said ‘but Job is not God-fearing for nothing, is he? Have you not put a wall round him and his house and all his domain? You have blessed all he undertakes, and his flocks throng the countryside. But stretch out your hand and lay a finger on his possessions: I warrant you, he will curse you to your face.’” Consider this prayer of Satan before God: he appealed directly to divine justice, challenging God to prove that Job is equally devoted to worshiping him as God is devoted to protecting and blessing him. God permitted him to test Job’s attachment to his possessions. “‘Very well,’ the Lord said to Satan, ‘all he has is in your power. But keep your hands off his person.’” Job’s worship of God was based on his faith in God’s word. His faith in God manifested when he lost everything he owned. “Job rose and tore his gown and shaved his head. Then falling to the ground he worshipped and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken back. Blessed be the name of the Lord!’” What a solid faith in God. Notice that he reasoned from his birth and death to anchor his disposition to God’s will in his trial.

Job’s faith in God made him understand that the world and everything in it belong to God; nothing happens without God’s express permission. His deep faith enlightened him to understand his role as that of a steward of God’s graces. We pray for such a faith, to really see ourselves as servants of God's holy and immutable will. Such deep faith helps us develop a childlike trust in God’s providence. Our Lord praised such childlike trust in the Father as a distinguishing mark of greatness in the kingdom of God as he settled the dispute among his disciples on who was greatest among them. “Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child and set him by his side and then said to them, Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least among you all, that is the one who is great.’” When we align our wills with the Father’s will in everything, we become like Jesus Christ. He came to fulfil the Father’s will in all things. He was obedient unto death. God, therefore, exalted him. Jesus himself confirms this when he responded to John’s report on their attempt to stop the one casting out a demon in Jesus’ name. “You must not stop him: anyone who is not against you is for you.” Obedience makes us for God and invincible to Satan, as Job was in his temptations

Let us pray: O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.   

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