Accepting Bad Luck

Sep. 30: Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

St. Jerome was hired by Pope Damasus I to revise the official translation of the Gospels into a more contemporary sounding Latin.¹ Jerome kinda went overboard and just translated the whole Bible from the oldest texts he could find in their original language.

St. Augustine had a problem with this—the Church had been using the Greek Septuagint since the beginning, not the original Hebrew. Not only would this mean Jerome is trusting his own translation over the ones the Apostles themselves used, but he’d be missing several books. Jerome relented, and combined his work with the commonly accepted translations of the Septuagint.

Over a thousand years later, protestant reformers decided Jerome was right in the first place, and removed seven books that we now call “deuterocanonical.”

I don’t read Hebrew, Greek, or Latin, so I don’t really have an opinion in that regard. But Jerome was almost excommunicated over this fight, and now he’s a canonized saint after conceding some points to Augustine. So, you know, that should tell you something.

Reading 1

Jb 1:6-22

One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, "Whence do you come?"

Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming the earth and patrolling it."

And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?"

But Satan answered the LORD and said, "Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing? Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face."

And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand upon his person." So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

And so one day, while his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them, and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid. They put the herdsmen to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was yet speaking, another came and said, "Lightning has fallen from heaven and struck the sheep and their shepherds and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was yet speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three columns, seized the camels, carried them off, and put those tending them to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was yet speaking, another came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, when suddenly a great wind came across the desert and smote the four corners of the house. It fell upon the young people and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you."

Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair. He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said, "Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!"

In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.

Numerology as a form of divination is a sin, but it’s not uncommon for authors to use numbers symbolically in fictional narratives, like in Job. Three is taken as a sign of holiness and divinity; it’s also means “completeness,” which is why we often see it in everything from jokes to literary structure. Four, on the other hand, often represents earthly things, material things—four seasons, four elements, etc.

In a normal story, Job would likely have been struck by three disasters. Instead, there are four. Ostensibly, these are caused by Satan, but the reality is, we live in a fallen world. No matter how good or pious we are, in this world, bad things will still happen.

At Mass yesterday,² our priest reminded us that angels and demons do really exist. But that doesn’t mean everything that goes wrong in our lives can be attributed to otherworldly phenomena. Sometimes things just turn out bad.

It’s how we respond to these circumstances, natural or supernatural, that determines our ultimate relationship with God and His creation. That’s what we’ll be learning from Job all week. Even in today’s readings, his immediate reaction isn’t to curse God, or even question Him, but simply accept God’s providence.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 17:1bcd, 2-3, 6-7

R. (6) Incline your ear to me and hear my word.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.
From you let my judgment come;
your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night,
though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me.
R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at your right hand.
R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.

The Psalmist (here, traditionally David) asks God for intervention in the face of unjust punishments. Does this contradict Job’s holy acceptance?

Well, yes and no. Everyone has a different temperament, which God understands. King David isn’t exactly a passive guy. It’s probably difficult for him to stoically receive ill treatment.

But the circumstances are different, as well. Job (and his family) suffer two natural disasters, and attacks by foreign enemies. None of it was personal. David, on the other hand, has been betrayed by his king and father-in-law. David’s pain results from a personal grudge by a petty tyrant. Conscious, active sin requires a different sort of justice than the whims of nature.

And, it’s worth noting, David still recognizes God’s supremacy. He leaves it to God to judge who is right and who is wrong.

Alleluia

Mk 10:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus isn’t concerned with “justice” in the sense of everyone getting what they deserve. In fact, He’s offering himself up so we sinners don’t get what we deserve.

Gospel

Lk 9:46-50

An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest."

Then John said in reply, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company."

Jesus said to him, "Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you."

This reading parallels yesterday’s Gospel from Mark about the unknown exorcist. But instead of giving us the later verses about chopping off that which causes you to sin, it begins with the preceding verses, about the least among us. I think this context makes more sense, since both parts are on the topic of prestige and hierarchy.

The context also makes John look a little silly. He was just told to not worry about who is the greatest, and here he is trying to push someone as an outsider. We should welcome everyone into God’s plan, and accept the help they offer, no matter their station.

Let’s Chat

Substack has a chat function exclusively for subscribers (free or paid), but I’ve never tried it before. I thought it might be neat to have a place for prayer requests and talking about any spiritual reading (in addition to the mass readings) we’ve been doing.

How to get started

1. Get the Substack app by clicking this link or the button below. New chat threads won’t be sent sent via email, so turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens. You can also access chat on the web.

2. Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.

3. That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.

1. This was happening in the late 4th Century, which is obviously a long time ago for us, but bear in mind the gospels were written 200 years before that.

2. Unfortunately, the livestream of his homily wasn’t saved online.