FIFTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – 2015
The
first Reading which is taken from the
Old Testament, and the Gospel both speak of the reality of suffering. Job looks
at suffering from a negative perspective without hope, the Gospel shows Jesus
healing and giving back hope to those who suffer.
The
second reading is the continuation of the previous weeks’ readings. Paul offers
the Gospel freely.
THE BOOK OF JOB
Ø It seems that in ancient times
there exists a man with this name, but the book as such is like a parable that
speaks to us about the mystery of human suffering, maybe the theme is wider, it
is about retribution and the justice of God.
Ø The process of the composition
of the book:
o
At first it was a legend, written in prose, about a man called Job who
suffered much. (Introduction and conclusion)
o
Later on the main body of the book was added to these two parts: the
dialogues with the Friends, written in poetry. This section raises a
question on retribution which is revolutionary
for the faith of Israel. (3-31;
39-41)
o
Another author, looking at this work which caused scandal for many, added the monologue of Elihu (32-37)
Ø Theological Approach
o
The author of the second or central part
of the book of Job, dares to question the untouchable belief of Israel
on retribution. He who acts well is blessed by God and prospers; while the one
who is not faithful, the sinner, is punished by God.
o
Job seems to be a good and irreproachable man, but his sickness says
something else, it says that he has sinned and does neither want to acknowledge
it nor to confess it.
o
The author through dialogues presents in a masterly way another
alternative, it is not as easy as they believe.
o
This same question is presented also in other books of the Old Testament,
things do not always go well for the just, and the evil man is not always
punished. Sometimes it even seems to be the opposite (Jer 31,29 y ss. Ez 18.)
o
In truth what the human being, represented by Job, questions is the
justice of God. The justice of God not in itself but in the way it has been
interpreted.
Ø What prompted the people of
Israel to write this book?
o
It seems that the people of Israel raised many questions about the love
and justice of God, during their exile in Babylon, where they suffered
much.
o
On their return the prophets tried to support the faith of the people,
that had more and more doubts about their situation and about their
relationship with God.
o
The book seems to reflect this crisis of faith, not only of the people
in general but also of the author him or
herself. The book would be the result of years of struggle, questioning and
prayer, until God makes himself to be known in the new way.
o
Thus the date of the composition might be between the VI and V centuries
before Christ.
o
To read this book is to enter into a passionate experience.
JOB IS THE MAN OR WOMAN , ANY MAN/WOMAN, WITH HIS OR HER TRAGEDY,
SUFFERING, DESPAIR, DOUBTS AND UNSATISFIED DESIRE TO HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH
GOD.
FIRST READING Job 7:1-4;6-7.
« This reading is like a meditation of Job, on the
meaning of his life. It is taken from the response of Job to his friend Eliphaz.
« Job responds passionately, and says how he sees the human
life.
o
Human life is like a hard work
o
Man is an anxious slave who seeks a shade to protect himself, or he is a
worker who waits for his salary.
o
It has been given to him a salary of sickness; months of suffering that
do not allow him to rest night or day.
o
His days go by without hope.
o
He sees his life like the wind that passes by and does not come back.
His happiness has been taken from him and will not be given back to him.
o
We will have to wait until Jesus comes for us men and women to discover another answer to
this question of the human suffering.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps
147:1-2. 3-4. 5-6
PRAISE THE LORD, WHO HEALS THE BROKENHEARTED
Praise the Lord, for he is good
Sing praise to our God, for he
is gracious
It is fitting to praise him
The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem
The dispersed of Israel he
gathers.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds
He tells the number of the
stars
He calls each by name
Great is our Lord and mighty
in power
To his wisdom there is no
limit
The Lord sustains the lowly
The wicked he casts to the
ground.
ü These verses are like a
consoling answer to the suffering lament of Job, and of all of us when we are
suffering.
ü God himself heals us and binds
our wounds, like a mother takes care of her son or daughter and relieves his or
her suffering.
GOSPEL OF MARK 1: 29-39
ü We continue our reading of the first chapter
of Mark. This
Gospel is very short but with a strong message conveyed in a simple and direct
way.
ü This first chapter of Mark
presents Jesus acting, talking very little but with a lot of deeds. If we look more closely we will contemplate an
extraordinary activity of Jesus, which Mark explains as happening in only one
day. It seems that he wants to tell us that Jesus was tireless in the
proclamation of the kingdom, today it is a proclamation through action
ü This passage happens in
Capharnaum, first in Simon’s house, than at the door of the same house and
later on in a deserted place out of town.
o
IN
SIMON’S HOUSE
§ Jesus leaves the synagogue,
where we met him last Sunday, and goes to Simon’s home.
§ He meets Simon’s mother-in-law
who is sick. The four men whom we met last week and who are following Jesus now
speak to him about her.
§ Jesus does not say a word, he
takes the woman by her hand and “raises her up.”
§ The word “raises up” in Greek,
the original language in which this Gospel was written, is the same word that
Mark uses for the resurrection of Jesus.
§ It seems that Mark wants to
tell us that the healings that Jesus performs are signs of his resurrection, of
new life. The mother-in-law is cured and she begins to wait on them.
o
AT THE
HOUSE DOOR
§ At evening they bring to him
the sick and the possessed by evil spirits to be cured by him.
§ And he heals them touching
them. And Mark adds that Jesus forbid the evil spirits to speak of him, because
they knew who he is.
§ Mark will constantly repeat
these same words “do not say it”. Some scholars explain this as “do not say it
because now it will not be understood in the right way, we have to wait for the
resurrection.” This technique of Mark is called the “Messianic Secret.”
o
IN THE DESERTED PLACE AND IN ALL THE TOWNS AND VILLAGES OF GALILEE.
§ At dawn Jesus went to a
deserted place to pray. Some translations say “he was absorbed in prayer.”
§ Those are Jesus’ precious
moments of prayer, that filled with
enthusiasm his followers. Jesus submerges himself in a conversation and
intimate relationship with his ABBA. Moments in which he experiences the
tenderness, the warm and the safety of the Father’s arms.
§ Come, all are looking for you.
Why and for what do we seek the Lord?
§ Jesus says that they have to
go to all the villages to proclaim the Good News. The Good News have to be proclaimed by words and by
healing actions
o
THE MYSTERY OF HUMAN SUFFERING
§ Job sees his life like a
slavery whose salary is pain and eventually death. There is no light speaking to him of hope in
something better, in another life, in a new and risen life.
§ The answer to this way of
thinking of Job, the answer to the question that all of us have when we are
faced with suffering, we will have it in Jesus.
§ In Jesus, the Son of the
Father, God looks into the darkness of our lives.
·
The darkness of our sins, of our lack of mutual love. These are the evil
spirits from which those who approach Jesus are liberated..
·
Darkness of our physical, psychological and spiritual pain. The Lord
touches us, heals us and makes us partakers of his new risen life.
·
The meaning of the question about human suffering will be given to us by
Jesus in his passion. His
suffering is redeeming , ours can become such.
·
The Father is not indifferent to our suffering. In Jesus his beloved
Son, the Father wants to enter into our reality and transform it from the inside.
·
The suffering, when we are united with Jesus, even when it seems incomprehensible
and we do not want it, is often a source of peace and joy.
·
Human suffering is in some way the consequence of the human sin, which
destroys us.
SECOND READING – 1 Cor 9:16-19; 22-23
« We continue reading from the
first letter to the Corinthians.
« Paul speaks of his ministry,
his mission to preach the Gospel.
o
He has not chosen this mission, it has been entrusted to him, he has
been asked to evangelize.
o
Paul cries out “woe to me if I do not preach it”.
o
Thus the proclamation of the gospel is not a cause for boasting.
o
His recompense is found in the preaching itself, offered without cost.
« Paul continues saying that he
is not subject to anyone
o
But in spite of this, he has made himself the slave of all, as to win
over for Christ as many as possible.
o
And thus he has made himself weak with the weak
o
He does everything for the sake of the Gospel with the hope to share in
its blessings.
« How beautiful is this
reflection of Paul, the great Paul whom we admire, feels himself little and
needy in front of the beauty and greatness of the Gospel. He does not own the Good News, it is not his
good news, it is the good news that make present Christ Jesus in the heart of
every man and woman, in our society, our
church, our families
« We may also exclaim “Woe to me if I do not
proclaim the good news that I have received and that have changed my
life!”
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Turning to take the thread of the way of God has been forming this
house of his, I said that on December 30, of the same year, 1853, we transferred
to this house and on January 15 1854, nine postulants arrived from Spain to
receive our holy habit that I handed on to them on the feast of the
purification of the same year. These young ladies made me suffer much because
almost all of them were inclined to comfort, little work, eat well and
laughing, it seemed that they came to take a walk and have a good time. One can imagine how
much did it cost me to cultivate a little these very independent spirits,
especially the majority of them and with the little help of an indulgent
confessor. (María Antonia París, Foundress
of the Claretian MIssionary Sisters, Autobiography, 199) .
I established clergy conferences to meet three times a
week in all towns of the diocese; one of them was on rubrics, the other two on
moral theology. I always presided over those in the capital. The first
conference each month was a day of retreat, consisting of reading, prayer, and
a talk.
I undertook the restoration of the diocesan seminary. More then 30 years
had passed without seeing the ordination of a single resident seminarian. At
the beginning of their studies they all said they had a vocation and were
educated at the seminary's expense; but toward the end of their studies they
would say that they didn't want to be priests, after which they were graduated
and became lawyers. And so it came about that Santiago had a swarm of lawyers,
all fed and educated at the seminary's expense, while the few priests there
were outsiders. (Antonio
María Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters 554-555).
BIBLIOGRAFÍA
LOBATO FERNÁNDEZ, Juan
Francisco, “Job”, en Comentario al
Antiguo Testamento II, Casa de la Biblia Salamanca-España 1997.
LOZANO, Juan Manuel, Escritos María Antonia París, Estudio
crítico, Barcelona 1985.
PÉREZ HERRERO,
Francisco, “Evangelio según San Marcos”
en Comentario del Nuevo
Testamento, Casa de la Biblia.
Salamanca-España1995.
RAVASI, Gianfranco, Según
las Escrituras-Año B, San Pablo
2005.
VIÑAS, José María cmf y
BERMEJO, Jesús, cmf. “Autobiografía” de
San Antonio María Claret en San Antonio María Claret Autobiografia y Escritos Complementarios,
edición bicentenario Buenos
Aires-Argentina 2008.
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