{"id":2629,"date":"2018-06-24T00:02:27","date_gmt":"2018-06-24T00:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=2629"},"modified":"2019-09-25T17:24:33","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T17:24:33","slug":"jobs-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jobs-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Job’s Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

I could swap hard-luck stories with Job, but not for long. When it comes to misfortunes, I’m not in his league. On the other hand, looking over medical records before a recent checkup reminded me that my life hasn’t been perfect.<\/p>\n

It could be worse. I might believe that God is smiting me because I’m predestined to a life of misery and eternity of torment. Or because I’ve committed some unspecified sin. Or have friends telling me that God only smites bad guys.<\/p>\n

It could be better, too.<\/p>\n

<\/a>I deal with hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Also autism spectrum disorder, depression and PTSD. I’m a mess. (March 19, 2018<\/a>; December 31, 2017<\/a>)<\/p>\n

My psychiatric issues made and make parts of my life excessively interesting. So did being born with defective hips.<\/p>\n

On the ‘up’ side, I’ve had many opportunities to think about abilities and their opposites. I’ve felt<\/strong> that ‘it’s not fair,’ but don’t remember believing it. Not for very long, anyway<\/p>\n

<\/a>A Work in Progress<\/h4>\n

<\/a>Feeling that I don’t deserve my ailments, or that Christians shouldn’t have problems, wouldn’t do me much good.<\/p>\n

Suffering, joy, any experience, can be a reason to pray and rejoice. (1 Thessalonians 5:16<\/a>–18<\/a>; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2648<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Remembering and believing that thanksgiving and joy matter when I’m in a rough patch is hard, at best. But it’s still a good idea.<\/p>\n

Disabled or not, I’m a person, a human being: with dignity and<\/strong> responsibilities.1<\/a><\/sup> (Genesis 1:27<\/a>; Catechism, 357<\/a>, 1731<\/a>–1738<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Having disabilities doesn’t make me better or worse than folks who don’t. What’s different are the opportunities and limitations I deal with.<\/p>\n

“…Disability is not a punishment; indeed it is a privilege, which God uses to manifest his love and crown all with the glory of the resurrection….”
\n(“Persons with disabilities: The Image of God and a Place of His Wonders<\/a>,” Preparation for the Jubilee Day, The Preparatory Committee (March 2, 2000))<\/p>\n

“…The lives of those who are handicapped are no less sacred than the lives of those who are not. I know that you share this conviction with me. At the same time, we are also aware that the quality of life of the handicapped is often not in keeping with their own inner worth….”
\n(“To members of the Very Special Arts International Organization<\/a>,” St. John Paul II (December 5, 1987))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thinking of myself as a person isn’t hard. Seeing my disabilities as a “privilege?” That’s a work in progress.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Accepting Life’s Ups, Downs and Nosedives<\/h4>\n

<\/a>Job 1:1<\/a>–5<\/a> says he “was a blameless and upright man” with seven sons, three daughters, a large household and more wealth than most.<\/p>\n

He was like today’s Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates: pretty much the opposite of destitute.<\/p>\n

Until the trouble started.<\/p>\n

Several messengers came, telling Job that his financial empire was kaput. That was bad news. But at least he still had his family.<\/p>\n

A fourth messenger arrived with more bad news. Job’s children were dead, killed by a freak storm. Then boils \u2014 painful sores \u2014 covered Job’s skin. All of it. Job was not having a good day.<\/p>\n

By the time we get to Job 2:8<\/a>, Job’s sitting on an ash heap, covered with boils and scraping himself with a potsherd. He gets his first bit of advice:<\/p>\n

“Then his wife said to him, ‘Are you still holding to your innocence? Curse God and die!’
\n“But he said to her, ‘You speak as foolish women do. We accept good things from God; should we not accept evil?’ Through all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
\n(Job 2:9<\/a>–10<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/a>With Friends Like These – – –<\/h4>\n

<\/a>You know the rest of the story. Three friends show up with “sympathy and comfort” for Job. (Job 2:11<\/a>)<\/p>\n

All three told Job that he should repent. They figured God rewards good behavior and punishes folks who act badly. That meant Job’s financial and family losses must be his fault.<\/p>\n

Job denied doing anything wrong, so they kept telling him.<\/p>\n

I think Eliphaz was hitting his stride in the second and third speeches:<\/p>\n

“The wicked is in torment all his days,
\nand limited years are in store for the ruthless;
\n“The sound of terrors is in his ears;
\nwhen all is prosperous, a spoiler comes upon him.”
\n(Job 15:20<\/a>–21<\/a>)<\/p>\n

“Is it because of your piety that he reproves you\u2014
\nthat he enters into judgment with you?
\n“Is not your wickedness great,
\nyour iniquity endless?”
\n(Job 22:4<\/a>–5<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Millennia later, some folks still agree with Eliphaz. I don’t.<\/p>\n

Wealth and poverty, illness and health aren’t sure signs of virtue or<\/strong> sin. Stuff happens. What matters is what I do with what I’ve got. (1 Timothy 6:10<\/a>; Hebrews 13:5<\/a>; Catechism, 828<\/a>, 1509<\/a>, 2211<\/a>, 2288<\/a>–2291<\/a>, 2292<\/a>–2296<\/a>, 2448<\/a>, 2540<\/a>, 2544<\/a>)<\/p>\n

<\/a>Carrots, Sticks and Me<\/h4>\n

<\/a>I think God is large and in charge, and that doing what’s right is a good idea. (Genesis 1:1<\/a>–2:2<\/a>; Psalms 115:3<\/a>; Catechism, 268<\/a>–269<\/a>, 279<\/a>, 301<\/a>, 1733<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Believing that God smites ‘bad guys’ and rewards ‘good guys’ promptly? Not such a good idea.<\/p>\n

Simple ‘carrot and stick’ belief may be easy.<\/p>\n

But it’s too close to upholding the moral superiority of the healthy and wealthy for my taste. Or circumstances.<\/p>\n

Believing that God pays attention and will reward or punish me is one thing.<\/p>\n

Doing ‘good works’ because I expect rewards, or avoiding ‘being bad’ because I fear punishment? That’d make me a mercenary or \u2014 as St. Basil put it \u2014 a slave. (Catechism, 1021<\/a>, 1828<\/a>)<\/p>\n

There’s what our Lord said about the man born blind, too. And those folks killed when a tower in Siloam fell. (Luke 13:4<\/a>–5<\/a>; John 9:1<\/a>–3<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The way I see it, God loves us and wants to adopt us. Each of us. (Romans 8:15<\/a>; Ephesians 1:3<\/a>–5<\/a>; Peter 2:3<\/a>–4<\/a>; Catechism, 1<\/a>–3<\/a>, 27<\/a>–30<\/a>, 52<\/a>, 1825<\/a>, 1996<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I accepted God’s offer. Since I’m ‘part of the family,’ loving God and acting like I mean it makes sense.<\/p>\n

Expecting reward or punishment matters, to an extent. I let myself look forward to God’s ‘Creation 2.0,’ for example. But it’s not at the top of my list of ‘reasons why.’<\/p>\n

That’s my opinion about disabilities and being human. Let’s see what a recent pope said:<\/p>\n

“…The Psalmist, … is convinced that God will already reward the righteous in this life, giving them a happy old age, and that he will punish evildoers before long.
\n“Actually, as Job affirmed and Jesus was to teach, history can never be so clearly interpreted. Thus, the Psalmist’s vision becomes a plea to the just God ‘on high for ever’, to enter into the sequence of human events, to judge them and make good shine forth….”
\n(General Audience<\/a>, St. John Paul II (September 3, 2003))<\/p>\n

“…Job however challenges the truth of the principle that identifies suffering with punishment for sin. And he does this on the basis of his own opinion. For he is aware that he has not deserved such punishment, and in fact he speaks of the good that he has done during his life. In the end, God himself reproves Job’s friends for their accusations and recognizes that Job is not guilty. His suffering is the suffering of someone who is innocent and it must be accepted as a mystery, which the individual is unable to penetrate completely by his own intelligence….”
\n(“Salvifici Doloris<\/a>,” St. John Paul II (February 11, 1984))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

More of my view of life, death, health, choices and making sense:<\/p>\n