"Trusting in the Master of All" by Fr. Chris House
If you have not read the Book of Job in the Old Testament, make time to do so. As you may know, the Book of Job deals with the problem of human suffering through the story of a man named Job. Job is righteous and the devil makes a wager with God that he can get Job to break that righteousness and God allows the devil to put Job to the test. After a great series of calamities befall Job, three friends of his attempt to console him but challenge Job to acknowledge that he has obviously sinned and that his suffering is God’s punishment. Job rejects this, as he is not guilty of anything, and cries out in frustration that he wishes he could stand before the Lord and ask why such evil has befallen him.
Job gets his wish, beginning in chapter 38, when the Lord speaks to Job from a whirlwind. The Lord does not answer Job’s questions about his suffering, nor does God explain himself or his ways, but instead he challenges Job to consider the awesome, mighty, and powerful things that the Lord has done in the world. Through a rather long monologue by the Lord, Job is invited to consider the Lord’s power and to be moved to renew his trust in God that, as the Lord is master of all things, God has the power to make things right in Job’s life. Job humbles himself before the Lord and the Lord heals Job of all his ills.
The first reading this Sunday from Job and the Gospel selection from Mark both present us with the imagery of storms. In Job, through vivid imagery and poetic language, God rhetorically asks Job who it is that has dominion over the wind, the rain, and the waves. The Gospel for this Sunday recounts for us that Jesus and his disciples get caught by in a storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee. In the midst of the disciples’ fear, Jesus is actually sleeping and wakes up in response to the screams from the others. Jesus rebukes the storm and the sea becomes calm.
I am sure that just about all of us have had experiences where, like Job, we want answers from God or, like the disciples, we have found ourselves in situations where our prayer is simply the cry of “Lord, save me!” The Lord is master of all things, both the storms of nature and those we encounter in our lives. We are invited, challenged at times, to renew our trust in God, who is present in our joys and sufferings, and who can bring us peace even if he chooses not to always calm the storms we may be facing in life. As with Job, God will make all things right in the end, but in his good time and perhaps not even in this life; nonetheless, we are invited to say with the faith of our hearts “Jesus, I trust in you.”
This Sunday: Farewell Reception for Fr. Wayne
This Sunday, June 23rd, is Fr. Wayne’s farewell reception in the parish center from 11AM to 1PM. Please come by to wish Fr. Wayne the very best in his new assignments in Decatur. Fr. Wayne will be departing CTK sometime the middle of this coming week.
I wish to thank Fr. Wayne for his ministry among us here at CTK. I have been blessed to know him for over twelve years since I first had lunch with him down in Vandalia when he wanted to talk about entering the seminary; I honestly don’t know if he said more than ten words at that lunch! Through his time in formation at Bishop Bruté College Seminary and Mundelein Seminary the Lord led him to ordination and we ministered together at the Cathedral his first two years of ministry and again here at CTK for a little more than the past year. I have been blessed to have Fr. Wayne not just as a brother priest but also as a friend and confidant. He will be serving in a variety of ministries in Decatur and I know that so many folks will be blessed through his ministry. Please join me in thanking God for the gift of Fr. Wayne’s ministry here with all of us; may the Lord continue to bless him with every good gift and grace as he continues to follow the Lord’s call in his life.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House
