26th week in ordinary time, Friday, October 6, 2006

Scripture: Job 38:1,12-21. 40:3-5. Psalm 139. Luke 10:13-16

Job reaches the moment of truth as God reveals Himself to the "patient" Job. In a certain way, Job hears God's side of the story and is dumbfounded. The Scripture says he puts his hand over his mouth, he listens, he reflects. Finally, after so many negative things and bad judgment on the part of this three "friends", Job is ready for the Lord's revelation to him in this tremendous theophany. He begins to open his heart in prayer. It made me think how appropriate for Psalm 139 to be chosen as the Responsorial. It would be a perfect prayer for Job and he probably did pray along the sentiments expressed in this masterpiece among the personal psalms. It is one of my favorites. This psalm helps us pray when we may be feeling down or sorry for our self. It gets us out of the party pooper mindset. We are brought into the marvel of how we came about through God's creative love. We enter the realm of truth that Job is experiencing. And all of us have a little bit of the Job within us! It is now the time to listen and to pray.

Jesus, too, tells us to listen. We know the expression that comes very frequently from him, "You who have ears, listen...."We are encouraged to listen to one another in our work settings, in our family situations, and in our communities of faith and those of our civil society. "He who hears you, hears me. He who rejects you, rejects me. And he who rejects me, rejects the one who sent me." (Luke 10:16).

Another prayerful moment aside from the readings came to me from the Office of the Readings. It was the last sentence in the chosen reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians, chapter 3:16. I read it three times and felt that this would be my motivational and inspirational thought for the day. Paul tells me, "It is important that we continue on our course, no matter what stage we have reached." Let us then keep dancing with the Lord today! Amen.