Access daily Mass readings, meditations and articles, as well as special resources, by becoming a subscriber or logging in. Subscribers: Please log in to view the Mass readings and listen to audio. Not a subscriber? Subscribe for only $12 (Save $4). But now my eye has seen you. (Job 42:5) When the crew of the Artemis II mission transmitted photographs of the Earth from space, everyone could see our smallness. Astronaut Christina Koch put it this way: “What struck me wasn’t necessarily just Earth; it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat, hanging undisturbedly in the universe.” Job, in our first reading, made a similar discovery. He had lost his wealth, his family, and his health. His misfortune seemed an unjust punishment. His friends tried to convince him that he was guilty of some grave sin, but he protested that he was innocent. Then, in the midst of Job’s pain and confusion, the Lord questioned him: “Where were you when I founded the earth?” (Job 38:4). And so began Job’s epiphany about God’s greatness and his smallness. In the end, he bowed humbly before the Lord and admitted, “I have dealt with great things that I do not understand” (42:3). We, too, might need to let God expand our view of him. We can forget that our loving Father is also the all-powerful Creator, the source of all life, the judge of every living thing, the Lord who rules all of history. We live in a world that tells us to live for ourselves: to prioritize what we need to do, what we deserve, and how we can better ourselves. The demands of life can keep our attention fixed on our immediate needs and leave little room for God. Or perhaps, like Job, sadness and loss have tempted us to lose hope in the Lord. It’s no wonder that we can lose sight of him at times! But Job’s story reminds us of what an encounter with God is like and how it can change us. The same can happen to you! Follow Job’s lead today: quiet yourself in prayer and ponder who God is. How can you be all-powerful, perfect, completely just, and merciful at the same time? Ask the Holy Spirit to open your “spiritual eyes.” Let him bring these words to life for you, so that they fill your heart with love and awe. “Father, you are beyond all that I can know or imagine. Show me more of who you are.”
Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary
DAILY MASS READINGS AVAILABLE WITH A SUBSCRIPTION
Daily Meditation: Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17
Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130
Luke 10:17-24