Job was an innocent sufferer in the Old Testament.
Besides his unjust suffering his real agony was about his incomprehensibility
of that suffering. In the time where reward and punishment were thought of as
results of goodness and wickedness, the unexpected suffering that entered into
the life of Job becomes a mystery. The whole book of Job is to tell the
humanity not to apply the theory of causation in everything. We infer cause by
witnessing the effect as well as predict the effect with the observations on
the cause. In predicting the effect, we are sure of the cause so the prediction
becomes correct but in inferring the cause through effect we have no certainty,
as we end up mostly reaching to possible known causes. The three visitors to
Job also inferred some grave sin to be the cause for job’s suffering. Job was
sure that he has no sin which could be a cause for his great suffering. In
today’s first reading God appears to job and shows the limitations of humanity
and its understanding. Every time something new is discovered the understanding
and the principle gets updated. This shows that our understanding is limited to
the extend we know the creation. God is the creator and in control of creation.
He did not create everything at one particular time and left it for itself to
go on. God is active and operative in creation. The creation gets evolved. Certain
things seem not fit into the natural operative theory. All the theories that we
make to understand God and universe are limited.
In the gospel we have the account of Jesus calming the
sea. The gospel of mark unpacks the mystery of Jesus and his place in creation progressively.
Jesus heals sickness, chases the devil and now He controls the nature. He has
overcome the things that are uncontrolled by men; sickness, devil and nature. Soon He will overcome death also. In
Jewish setting YHWH is the one who has control over the sea. YHWH used the
water to save Israel and destroy the Egyptians in the exodus. Now Jesus controls
the water; so who is He? The disciples are awe struck by this marvellous event
(Mk 4:41). They stood still in His presence as people in exodus stood awe
struck by looking at the marvels done by God. There way of looking at Jesus as
mere human needs redefining. St. Paul in the second reading (2 Cor 5:14-17) tells
that once we were looking at Jesus humanly, now we no more look at Him in that
way. Jesus needs to be looked beyond; He is God, not just a man.
In the last Sunday reading we reflected on the sower
who sleeps after sowing the seed, allowing the seed to grow by itself and bear
fruit. Jesus calming the sea is that parable in action. Jesus after sowing His message
into the hearts of the people and disciples through the parable of the sower
sleeps in the boat waiting for the seed to grow in them. The disciples heart
are to be good land that produce 100% fruit. On the contrary, they wavered in
their faith and disturbed the sleep of Jesus. They woke Jesus saying, "We
are perishing" (Mk 4:38). Jesus is also going to die if boat gets sunk
into the sea. Human way of thinking leads to lose hope in that terrifying
situation. Godly way of looking would have made them hope that YHWH will not
allow great teacher like Jesus to get sink into the water, which will become a
great loss to the Israel. Their humanly looking put their security first. Godly
way of looking invites them to place themselves in the broader context of
creation and read the events.
The present pandemic has shown us that ordinary way of
looking at things will not give us any answers. All possible theories to
consider this pandemic as cause of human wickedness are out. This virus touches
everyone; no partiality and discrimination. All kinds of people are affected.
So no human theories and principles could give adequate reasons. All that we
can say is that we are not in control of things. Humanly looking at this
pandemic may make us to see God as inactive. Wait! Still we don’t know things fully.
All conclusions we make are done through the knowledge that we have gained till
today. It may change and gets updated as years go by. So stop making
conclusions, let us not allow God to ask cosmic question which put Job in
silence. Let us see our lives not in compartment but in connection with past,
present and future. Creation is evolving. God is operative and active in
creation. We are entering into the creation at one particular time and move out
at another time. Seeing creation in its entirety will make some sense to the happenings.
We were not here before and will not be after
sometime. Let’s do our part in creation and get away. Let us bear fruit in
creation. Let the seed sown in us grow and bear abundant fruit. Human view
makes us see the death and economy loss as tragedy. Godly way of looking makes
us see death as escape from the temporal world and economy loss as free from
worries. Still questions remains; why let God allow these things happen? The
answer may be; we are given power over all creation to rule and to participate
in the creation work of God. Our main work on this earth is to participate in
the creation work of God. The wealth and entertainment are creation of man, not
God. Focusing ourselves on this and orienting our life in this direction detracts
our life from God. We have to live with creation; caring for our neighbour and
the natural world. This way out makes some sense. We are awe struck with this
pandemic, because we failed to become awe struck at the responsibility given to
us. In the history our times is going to be an important one because of the
pandemic. It is a privilege to be part of this history. Let us set ourselves in
the creation and do our part in creation.
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