The readings for today’s Mass represent two sides of the same coin.
In the first reading, we hear Job answering his friends who have accused him of being guilty of some grave sin. To their way of thinking, God would not have allowed misfortune to fall upon Job unless he had sinned. God does not abandon those who are sinless.
In his response, we hear Job’s feelings, for he is feeling somewhat victimized in the relationship he has with God. He realizes that any attempt to challenge God would not end well. He is no match for God. No one is. So he never gives in to the temptation to turn against the Lord. Even in the midst of all the pain and adversity Job suffers, he does not turn away from God. His relationship with God is the one and only thing that he has left in the world. So he clings to it.
On the other hand, the Gospel tells us of several men who wish to follow Jesus, but who are simply not ready to leave everything behind to follow him. Their excuses all reveal their indecision. Unlike Job, they have other things, other people to which to cling. Jesus realizes that they are not ready to follow him and tells them so.
The Lord has prioritized us. We exist simply because God loves us and cannot stop doing so. The Scriptures have revealed God’s love for us. So on this memorial of St. Jerome, who spent his life making the Scriptures accessible to us and to all who have come before us, we cling to God with Job.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator