Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100312.cfm

...but how can a man be justified before God? 
Should one wish to contend with him, 
he could not answer him once in a thousand times. 
God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; 
who has withstood him and remained. 

"Hineneh!" Abraham said as the Lord spoke to him. "Here I am!" When the Lord speaks to us, saying his lofty name, "I am!" our response must be "Here I am." 

But Job will go one step further; he says "Here I am" with defiance. "You cannot deny me! You must recognize me! I will be heard!" 

Job is Everyman; he is everyone who has suffered unfairly, and everyone who has been betrayed. Suffering, some will say, is sometimes deserved. Sometimes we bring it upon ourselves. But sometimes the punishment is out of all proportion to the offence. If I suffer a moment of inattention, is it fair that I must be killed for driving through a red light? Is it fair that children who disobeyed their parents are ravaged by enemy soldiers who kill their parents and burn their home? 

That makes no sense! And yet life punishes. I think of that word with two meanings. First, it often means retribution for wrongdoing. But it also describes a brutal assault; "It was punishing." Punishment falls upon us for no apparent reason. And we protest! "This is not right!" 

I think of the fate of Jerusalem, the Holy City. The Hebrew Prophets repeatedly pointed to the sinfulness of its leaders and people. Children were orphaned and neglected; widows were abandoned and defenseless; the elderly and the disabled struggled to survive. The Prophets warned of God's displeasure. They promised security and prosperity if only the city would practice the virtue God demanded of them.

But Jerusalem was a city like all others. People came and went from all parts of the world. They brought their own ideas, practices and customs; and the city was always amalgamating the new with the old and the present with the future. The city was full of idolaters who might not have voted for the king but they had ways to make their presence known. The wise ruler dealt with them; he could not simply banish them with their money, their intellectual gifts and their human needs. 

Jerusalem was consecrated to God but there were many foreign influences; it was a sinful city. And it suffered the ravages of history, as must all cities. But, is that fair?

Speaking for all people, Job challenged the justice and mercy of God. Is it fair that the innocent must suffer? Is it fair that you would choose a certain people as your own and punish them for their wickedness? 

Job knows he hasn't a leg to stand on. In a court of law, he has "no standing." And yet, like the crone in Jesus' parable, he will not be quiet. "Give me my rights!" she demanded, whether she had any rights or not! Like her, Job will "not go quiet into that good night." Job cannot argue with God. Too well he knows:

...can a man be justified before God?Should one wish to contend with him,he could not answer him once in a thousand times.God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;who has withstood him and remained?

But neither can he be quiet. 

Recently, I've heard thinkers argue that the human being is not always a rational creature. We often know the right thing to do and do something else. We dread the latest plague, which might affect one in ten thousand; and yet overeat, smoke, drink alcohol in excess and shun cardiovascular exercise. We'll spend a dollar to save a dime. 

Job knows he is not being reasonable, but he will not be silent. For that we admire him, and for that, God honors him.