FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B – 2021
The first Reading taken from the Old
Testament, and the Gospel put in front of us the reality of human
suffering. Job has a negative
perspective, without hope. The Gospel shows Jesus healing, thus giving back
hope to those who suffer.
The second reading is the
continuation of last Sunday’s reading. Paul offers the Gospel without
cost.
THE BOOK OF JOB
Ø It seems that in ancient times
a man with this name existed, but this book is like a parable which speaks to
us about the mystery of the human
suffering, however the theme has a larger scope, it is about retribution and God’s justice.
Ø Process in the writing of this
book:
o
At the beginning it was a simple tale, written in prose, about a man
called Job who suffered very much. (introduction and conclusion)
o
Later the main part of the work was added: the friends’ dialogues, written in poetry. This
part raises a revolutionary question for the faith of Israel about
retribution. (Job
3-31; 39-41)
o
Finally another author edits the work and scandalizes many with his
thesis and, adds the monologue of Elihú (Job 32-37).
Ø The Theological Approach:
o
The author of the second or central part of the book of Job dares to
question the untouchable belief of Israel’s faith on retribution. He who does good is blessed by God and
prospers; he who is not faithful, the sinner, is punished by God.
o
Job pretends to be without blame and good, but his sickness says that he
has hidden sins that he does not want either to acknowledge or confess.
o
The author through the dialogues presents in a great way another
alternative, the thing is not so easy as they believe
o
In other books of the Old Testament some authors present also this question,
not always things go well for the just, and not always the things go bad for
the sinner, rather it seems that we
experience the contrary. Jer 31,29 y ss.
Ez 18.
o
In fact, what the human being, represented here by Job, questions is the
justice of God. Not in itself but in the way it has been
interpreted.
Ø What moved the community to
write this book:
o
It seems that behind this book we discover the questions raised within
the people of Israel by their great sufferings during the Babylonian exile.
o
On their return the prophets tried to nurture the faith of the people
that had more and more doubts on their situation and 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. The book would be the result of years of
struggle, questioning and prayer, until the moment when God allows himself to be
known in a new way.
o
The time of the composition of this book may be situated after the
exile, maybe between the VI and V centuries before Christ.
o To read this book is to enter into an exciting experience.
FIRST
READING – Job 7:1-4.6-7
Ø Today’s text is taken from the first
session of dialogues between the friends and Job. It is a
fragment of the answer that Job gives to his friend Eliphaz which goes from the beginning of
chapter 6 to the end of chapter 7.
Ø Job, who is suffering physically,
psychologically and spiritually describes his pain
o
He
sees human life as a military service,
or the life of a slave or laborer
o
All
these comparisons make us thing of a person who does not have the possibility
to take decisions on his own life, but somebody else takes them for him or her,
someone who is not a friend.
o
He
describes his nights and days full of darkness and pain.
Ø Job says how he sees his life
o
As
a shuttle on the weaver, thus are the days of Job, without any change, always
the same.
o
Job
has lost hope; he has too many questions without answer, why has God done that
to me, if I have always served him? Why does he abandon me in
the midst of silence and darkness without defending me?
o
He
sees his life like a breath and he is convinced that his eyes will not see
happiness anymore. God keeps silence and the human beings, his friends, want to
interpret this silence.
Ø The tone of this reading is quite
pessimistic and sad, but it reflects what happens to us when we are suffering,
and in addition a suffering without meaning for us
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 146:1-2.
3-4. 5-6
R. (cf.
3a) 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.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the
brokenhearted.
He heals the
brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the
brokenhearted.
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.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the
brokenhearted.
Ø
The psalmist sings God’s greatness and
invites the assembly to do the same.
Ø
God is great because he has rebuilt… reunited the disperse… heals the hearts… reaches out … humiliates the
arrogant…
Ø God is great because he is the Lord of the
universe, the creator who can count the number of the stars and know the name
of each one.
Ø The psalmist is amazed and cries out “his
wisdom has no limits.”
Ø This is the answer to the darkness of Job and
also to our own darkness, questions, fears.
Ø I have read some days ago an article and something caught my attention, it says something like this: sometimes God seems not to respond to our petitions, but in reality he might be saying to us “wait a little, I have a better idea for you.” Only as time goes by we realize that he has been listening all the time, and then we feel a great joy.
GOSPEL Mk 1:29-39
Ø We continue reading the swiping force of Jesus’
evangelization, like the hurricane-force wind of Pentecost, opening new ways
and giving new light to those who listen to Him.
Ø There are three different moments or scenes in
this reading:
Ø First:
o
Jesus exits the Synagogue, where he
has cured the possessed man and where the assembly said: “a new doctrine,
taught with authority.”
o
Jesus in company of his first
disciples goes to Peter’s home. They talk to him about Peter’s mother in law who is sick. He can
heal, maybe he will cure her also.
o
Jesus approaches the sick woman, takes
her from the hand and raises her up. Here Mark uses the same word that he will
use to describe the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb: He has been
raised.
o
Mark seems to tell us that this woman
was healed in her whole being; she was made new, liberated not only from her
sickness but from any other suffering.
o
Once she is cured she starts serving
them. This is the mission of all the followers of Jesus: to serve.
Ø Second
o
The people brought to Jesus those
afflicted from many illnesses.
o
He cures all, he liberates them from
their illness and from anything that might have them bound
Ø Third
o
At dawn Jesus goes to a deserted place
to speak with God, his Father. How good it is for us also to do the same, to enter
in communication with God who has created us, redeemed and sent to serve. How do you want to be served today Lord?
o
The disciples, who begin their process
of knowing and following Jesus, think that it is better to take care of those
who seek him than to continue praying.
o
Jesus gives them the first lesson: let
us go to the other villages where there are other people to whom I have to
preach and announce the good news.
o And Jesus continues his way fulfilling the mission He has been sent to do. What is my mission? Do I live it with my eyes upon the Lord to know how He wants me to fulfilled it?
This short notice but compendious,
without withdrawing a single point from the rule that the Lord was commanding
me to write, filled my heart and soul with a holy joy, so much so that for a
long while I could not control my tears, seeing the great work that the Lord
was to perform. In these few words that
His Divine Majesty told me, he made me understand so many and great things
about this holy soul, that as if I was out of myself. I think I loss the bodily
senses, while the powers of the soul were occupied in admiring what the grace
of God can do in a soul. I saw or understood, I do not know how to explain it,
our Lord left to the judgment of his soul the interests of the church and as if
of him depended to put to practice the Evangelical Law, and it seem to me that
his Divine Majesty was telling him, “ I have given you grace for that “ I
understood that this was very special grace that God bestowed only to the holy
Apostles, and I saw that our Lord Jesus Christ was requesting it from him in
a way that I do not know how to
explain. Venerable María Antonia
París Foundress of the Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary
Sisters, Autobiography 33
My father set me to work
on every job available in his well-equipped little thread and textile factory.
For a long time I and another young man were in charge of putting the finishing
touches on the work of everyone else in the shop. Whenever we had to correct
anyone, it upset me a great deal; yet I did my duty. I always tried to find
something good to say about the piece of finished work. I would praise its good
points, saying that this or that about it was very good but that it had such
and such a defect and if these little defects were corrected, it would really
be a perfect job.
I didn't know why I did things this way, but in time I came to see that it
was the result of a special grace of kindness that the Lord had granted me.
This is why the workers always took correction from me and mended their ways... Saint Anthony Mary
Claret, Founder of rthe Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary
Sisters, Autobiography 33-34.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CLARET, San
Antonio María. Autobiography.
LOBATO FERNÁNDEZ, Juan
Francisco, “Job”, en Comentario al
Antiguo Testamento II, Casa de la Biblia Salamanca-España 1997.
PARIS, Venerable María Antonia. Autobiography
No comments:
Post a Comment