The Book of Job, Us Today, My Reflections

I have tried to put myself in Job’s position of losing his fortune and his children. That alone would be enough to make any person bitter, angry and hard-hearted toward God. Job received the ultimate test, especially with his friends blaming him, a righteous man, and his wife telling him to curse God. I honestly believe the test that Job was put through would be more then I could handle. Losing my possessions and being unhealthy, I maybe able to keep my faith, however losing my children the way Job did would require much ministering from someone better equipped then Job’s three so called friends. I also struggle with God in this story that he would play a game with Satan just to prove Jobs righteousness. Satan is termed as an opponent or adversary or one who opposes in Hebrew. This may explain why the story was designed the way it was. I think Job is a great model for all of us who will suffer disappointments, tragedy, sickness, suffering and death. The adversary or opponent is the one who inflicted the hard times, not God. God knew Job would be just, righteous, and fear the Lord.

I am surprised that even today many people believe that hard-times come to sinners. We are all sinners, we are all gifted in some fashion or another, and we will all be tested in some small or large way like Job was in this reading. I know God is the supreme judge and may afflict without cause, however that seems to be the mystery we do not have the answer for. Usually something good comes from our cross that we carry.

When my brother died fourteen years ago at the age of 56, I was very angry that I did not have the time needed to see him off. Although my mother suffered with pain at her death bed I felt at peace knowing that she understood the world of pain and did not blame God for her discomfort. She had the righteousness and patience needed to be a Job. My brother also handled his idea of death coming in his direction like a Job would. God gives us the strength we need to handle our crosses in life. He strengthened my faith when these two losses in my life came along, by putting me on a faith journey I never dreamed possible.

Job hints a few times in this story about afterlife which was not talked about much in those days. I can see where the wisdom books offer much insight for our daily ups and downs. God knows we just cannot understand the mystery of life, death and tragedy. I have learned from the Book of Job, a better understanding of the marvelous power that God has over tragedy and suffering if we keep our faith in Him. Although Job was God fearing and morally perfect, he still cannot challenge God. The moral of the story is Job recovered and also realized that he is the creature and God is the creator. I need to make the best use of this wisdom myself, for the future crosses in my life. What do you think?

Luke’s Gospel - Very Instrumental In My Life

Luke’s Gospel has a particular appeal to me because of his balance. It appears to be written to all, including men, women, rich, poor, lonely, Greeks, Roman, and Gentiles, as well as, sinners and the socially outcasts. Some say Luke was not an eye witness as a third generation Christian but I believe he had better writing skills to include beautiful language, grammar, and vocabulary. In my opinion Luke introduced the gospel with more joy, compassion, and love, because Luke’s Jesus’ was very compassionate and forgiving. His focus on the poor and outcasts explain why some call it the social workers gospel. Luke shows much more healing and forgiveness from Jesus then the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. He also makes it very clear that salvation and the kingdom of God are for the asking. Luke wants his readers to plenty of the joy, trust, faith, hope, endurance, expectation, and exultation of those who respond to the faithful God’s actions in their life.

Most theologians say, Luke’s sources were Mark, Q, and L. I am a great fan of his writings that include the Parables of Jesus. Although his writing depended on earlier accounts, Luke re-worked them with better literary structure and put them a more orderly fashion.

Luke’s Gospel has been very instrumental in my life thus far. I can relate to the Parables and often put myself in the place of the prodigal son, the blind man, or anyone of his characters. The lessons have opened my mind and heart and brought my on-going conversion to new heights. Each and every parable teaches me that you must be genuine in your faith and repent for forgiveness of your sins to seek the salvation of Jesus Christ. Luke talked about the faithful servants in 12:35-45, that we must safeguard what has been entrusted to us to care for until His second coming. In other words, Jesus expects us to carry on the tradition of compassion, love and charity to our neighbors.

My spiritual life is useless unless I expose to the world that 20,000 to 25,000 children a day are dying of starvation, numerous children are being kidnapped each day as slaves to armies and as sex slaves in Africa and other countries. Every 6 seconds a child in this world is dying of starvation. This insanity must stop. This is not the way the world is supposed to be.

Luke‘s Gospel is compassionate and loving in today’s world. In my lay ministry, I would find it the most helpful to use his stories to ease the pain of those that I am in contact with. He shows such compassion, joy and love from Jesus that most people who are suffering would believe his stories as I have.

God must know that each and every one of us is responsible to take part in this journey to help the starving and oppressed. Hopefully, He will use us in an extraordinary way to get this message out to the world that we have a responsibility to feed the children and the oppressed.

Almsgiving makes one clean before God. We cannot earn our way to heaven. However, we do have a responsibility to serve our neighbor and follow the law of loving our neighbor as ourselves. My spiritual life is to include the poor, helpless, and the outcasts. I am from that group as a child and I will always have a place in my heart and soul for the needy. I pray that God will never let me forget where I came from and that He will give me the strength to help my fellow man and women.

This Gospel begins and ends with the holy city and the Temple. Isn’t that what happens to us? I pray that each day we as Christians learn that the gospel is intended to teach us that God intends on us to pay attention to our social sin for what we fail to do, in addition to the sin we commit each day. Our world needs compassion, love, and charity to fulfill the kingdom of God.

When Mother Theresa was asked what we can do to help the problem in Calcutta, she responded that your Calcutta is down the street from where you live in your home town. Go do something in your own Calcutta. As I discern, I pray that God will guide me in the right direction to help my neighbors in this world.