Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
First Reading
Job 1:6–22
One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, “Whence do you come?”
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming the earth and patrolling it.”
And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?”
But Satan answered the LORD and said, “Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing? Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.”
And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand upon his person.”
So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
And so one day, while his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them, and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid. They put the herdsmen to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another came and said, “Lightning has fallen from heaven and struck the sheep and their shepherds and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, seized the camels, carried them off, and put those tending them to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, when suddenly a great wind came across the desert and smote the four corners of the house. It fell upon the young people and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair. He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said,
“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD!”
In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 17:1bcd, 2–3, 6–7
R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.
From you let my judgment come;
your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night,
though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me.
R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at your right hand.
R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 9:46–50
An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest.
Jesus realised the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “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.”
Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.”
Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”
Reflection
The Book of Job begins its great exploration of suffering by stripping away easy answers. Job is introduced as blameless and upright, yet catastrophe overtakes him without warning. Messenger after messenger arrives until possessions, livelihood, servants and children have all been lost. The speed of the disasters gives Job no time to recover from one blow before the next falls.
Scripture does not present Job as untouched by grief. He tears his cloak, cuts his hair and falls to the ground. His worship does not replace mourning; it takes place within it. Genuine faith does not require emotional pretence. Job’s sorrow is visible and embodied, yet he refuses to reduce his relationship with God to a bargain maintained only while life is prosperous.
The Church does not offer a simple explanation that makes innocent suffering easy to accept. The Catechism acknowledges that the question of physical and moral evil cannot be answered by a brief formula. Its fullest answer is found only within the whole of Christian faith: creation, sin, God’s patient covenant, the Incarnation, the Cross and Resurrection, and the promise of eternal life (CCC 309–314).
Job’s words, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away,” must therefore be heard as the prayer of a wounded man, not as a claim that every tragedy is directly inflicted by God. He does not understand what has happened. Nevertheless, he brings his shattered life into God’s presence. His faith survives not because he possesses an explanation, but because he continues to address the Lord.
The responsorial psalm gives this persevering faith a voice. “Incline your ear to me and hear my word” is the cry of someone who expects God to listen. The psalmist does not deny testing or danger; he appeals to the God whose mercy provides refuge. Prayer in hardship is not always peaceful or composed. It can be an urgent plea from someone who has nothing left except the conviction that God still hears.
The Catechism describes prayer as a relationship of covenant in which the human heart encounters God. Even when prayer becomes difficult, trust is tested and purified rather than rendered meaningless (CCC 2564, 2734–2737). Job and the psalmist teach us that suffering may change the sound of prayer, but it need not end the conversation.
The Gospel turns from suffering to ambition, yet it exposes another form of spiritual testing. The disciples argue about which of them is the greatest. While Jesus is moving towards the self-giving of the Cross, those nearest to him are comparing status. Their concern is not how to serve but how they rank.
Jesus responds by placing a child beside him. In the social world of the disciples, a child possessed no influence or authority. By identifying himself with such a person, Jesus overturns their measure of importance. To receive someone who cannot improve our reputation or repay our kindness is to receive Christ himself—and, through Christ, the Father who sent him.
Christian humility does not mean denying our gifts or pretending that we have no value. It means recognising that every gift is received and is meant for service. Jesus embodies this completely. As the Gospel Acclamation declares, the Son of Man came not to secure status but to serve and give his life for many. His greatness is revealed in self-giving love.
John’s attempt to stop someone outside the disciples’ company reveals a related temptation: the desire to control where God may work. The man is casting out demons in Jesus’ name, but John objects because he does not belong to their recognised circle. Jesus refuses this possessiveness. The kingdom is God’s work before it is ours, and grace is not confined by our need to manage recognition or belonging.
Job loses control over the circumstances of his life. The disciples seek control over status and ministry. In different ways, both readings ask whether faith can remain open to God when we cannot control outcomes, explanations or other people. Job responds through grieving trust; Jesus calls his disciples towards humility and generosity.
We may not receive an immediate explanation for suffering, and we may encounter goodness emerging from people outside our familiar circles. Today’s readings invite us neither to force easy answers nor to guard our place jealously. They ask us to remain truthful before God, attentive to those considered least and willing to recognise the work of Christ wherever it genuinely bears his name.
One line to carry today:
Faith does not require control; it asks us to remain humble, truthful and open to God.
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