Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
September 27, 2022

Today’s Readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092722.cfm

Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, Wow! Job is as distraught as anybody I’ve ever seen! He is sorry he was ever born, that’s how terrible his circumstances are.

Hopefully, none of us has ever been at such a “Job Point”. But we’ve had our own small brinks where we’ve stood and yelled into the silence, “Why?”  

1. Why me? 
2. Why my family? 
3. Why someone so good? 
4. Why now? 
5. Why like this?

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All these “whys” are fragments of the essential question of the Book of Job:
                          How can a good God allow evil to exist?
The question even has its own name: theodicy – defined as the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil.

Philosophers and theologians have proposed an array of explanations. But these fall short of satisfying us when we are the ones at the brink.

When we try to balance the concepts of evil with God’s goodness, we are wrestling with a mystery, not a problem. Problems, like unsolved math equations, have answers – even though we may not have found them yet.

Mysteries do not have finite answers. Sacred mysteries engage our faith to grow deeper in relationship with God, Who shares our life and suffering beyond our human understanding. 

As we pray with Job today, let us pray for the courage to trust and engage our incomprehensible God.

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Poetry: Mystery – Rumi

God writes mysteries on our hearts
where they wait silently for discovery.

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Music: Untouchable ~ Mars Lasar