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The Word Among Us

Friday, October 01, 2004

Meditation
Job 38:1,12-21; 40:3-5

There are times when we need to discover anew just how majestic God is. We may have allowed the demands of our lives to overshadow our spiritual vision. Or perhaps, like Job, a time of sadness and loss has caused us to lose our hope in the Lord. But in today’s reading, we have a vivid description of what an overpowering experience of the Lord is like and how it can affect us.

How easy it can be to forget that our loving Father is also the all-consuming power behind creation, the author of all life, and the final judge of every living thing. But this is exactly what can happen if we’re not careful. We live in a world that tells us to focus on ourselves: what we have to do, what we deserve, and how we can better ourselves. In this environment, it’s no wonder that we can lose sight of the Lord at times!

As a way to counteract this tendency, it’s a good idea to follow Job’s lead and quiet ourselves in prayer. Sit quietly before the Lord and ponder who he is. What does it mean that God is all-powerful, perfect, completely just, and merciful at the same time? And as you ponder God’s attributes, ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart. Let him take these inadequate words and fill them with his revelation. Let him bring these words to life for you, so that they pierce your heart.

When Job saw the holiness of God, he was silenced in awe and humility. The same can happen to us. How bracing it is to be so moved by God’s majesty that we too are left speechless, filled with love and awe. Let us ask God to show us his magnificence. The more we do, the more we will understand his incredible love for us and his power to transform us.

“Father, you are beyond all that I can know or imagine. Give me a deeper revelation of your glory. Keep me in your love and in the awareness of your awesome majesty.”

One Bread, One Body

All Issues > Volume 20, Number 6

<< Friday, October 1, 2004 >>

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5

Psalm 139

Luke 10:13-16

View Readings

SEE-SICK

“My journeys and my rest You scrutinize, with all my ways You are familiar.” —Psalm 139:3

Job had a rough journey, being tossed about emotionally and spiritually, because he couldn’t “see” God’s love and provision in the midst of his trials (see Eph 4:14). When his “Captain” called “Attention!” (see Jb 38:16), Job realized the awesome power of God (Jb 40:4) and his own rank of low standing (see Prv 1:7). Once Job saw the Lord (Jb 42:5), his healing and restoration followed shortly thereafter (Jb 42:7ff).

The townsfolk of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were privileged to witness the love of God made manifest in the miracles of Christ. However, they were blind to God’s love for the poor and the weak and unable to “see” their own need to repent (Lk 10:13ff). They are warned by Jesus that their behavior merits a more severe judgment and that their “see” sickness may even be terminal (Lk 10:15).

It’s been said, “The eye is the window to the soul” (see Mt 6:22-23). Do you guard your eyes from evil? (see Is 33:15) Or is your life full of “enticements for the eye” (1 Jn 2:16)?

Do you see what I see?

Prayer: “Probe me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; see if my way is crooked, and lead me in the way of old” (Ps 139:23-24).

Promise: “He who hears you, hears Me. He who rejects you, rejects Me. And he who rejects Me, rejects Him Who sent Me.” —Lk 10:16

Praise: St. Therese saw with the eyes of love as she did every little thing with the heart of a child for love of Jesus.