Today’s first reading and Gospel both remind me of the frailties of the human person, and how completely dependent we are upon the grace of God.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to have the faith of Job? Here he was, richly blessed with his family and his livestock and many possessions. And in a crazy deal that the devil made with God, Job was tested. It’s almost as if God dared the devil to try Job and see if his faith would wane.
One by One
And so, one by one, the string of bad news kept coming. First, the oxen and asses were stolen, and the herdsmen killed. Then the sheep and the shepherds were struck by lightning and perished, followed by camels being seized and taken. And finally, a great wind came upon the house in which Job’s children were partaking of their food, and they all died.
Yet, through all of these torments, Job’s faith in God did not diminish and he did not say anything disrespectful of God. In the phrase we have often heard, he uttered “the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!”
O that we would have such faith.
Acknowledgement and Praise
We, mere mortals, sadly look for positions of stature. Even the disciples argued among themselves, discussing which of them was the greatest. We should not frown upon their actions, as we ourselves succumb to this, looking for acknowledgement and praise from people around us.
Interestingly, Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a child and placed it by his side, saying to the apostles:
“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,
And whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”
Humility
There is the answer! Jesus, the Lord and Savior of us all, the long-awaited Messiah, showed us His humility on the night before He died. He took a basin of water and tied a towel around his waist, and one by one, washed the feet of His disciples. This would ordinarily be the task of a servant. But He demonstrated to us by His action how to put others first and our own needs and desires last.
May we learn to bear with patience any trials and tribulations that come our way, and to always offer a helping hand to those in need, without pomp or ceremony, but with a humble heart.
