Job’s example of courageous and persevering faith is something to behold. As we have recently heard, Job lost everything: family, health, livestock, etc. And yet, his belief in God led him to say, “But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives … Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold Him …”
Job, despite all his hardships, possessed a hope that in the end God would bring him through all the loss and pain of this life to be with Him in heaven.
So often when I hear the words of Job, I think of my Dad’s father, Fred Marcham, who experienced hardship in his childhood in England. Fortunately, he was blessed with a good mind and mentors who provided him scholarship opportunities, and he eventually emigrated to the United States to take a position as an English History professor.
What he experienced as a youth must have echoed in his heart and mind, because in each of his courses, he incorporated parts of the Book of Job. He sought to teach his students not only about English History, but also about perseverance and having faith in God’s presence in their lives, bringing them through the toughest chapters of life.
Part of being a follower of Jesus requires being willing to share the peace of Christ with others, while knowing that not all will want to receive it. I imagine that each of us has met with mixed results in this area … sometimes to great surprise.
Jesus tells the disciples how they are to handle these moments when they are on mission. He tells them what to bring and where to stay; to begin with an offering of peace to their host’s family, to cure the sick, and to announce that the Kingdom of God is at hand.
But Jesus is also aware that our efforts to share the faith will not always be well received. Now, I’m not recommending that we literally follow this gospel by shaking the “dust” of a town off our feet while making a proclamation of the consequences of not following God, but there is lesson to be learned.
If our efforts are rejected, after humbly and courageously speaking the gospel truth in love, we need to be able to move on, even for a day, to allow God’s grace to work in that person’s life in what we have shared, and so that we will retain the peace of Christ in our hearts.
Whether we are feeling like Job today, or meeting resistance in seeking to help another in Christ’s Name, let the words of the psalmist remain with us: “Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.”
If we do that, we will always have, and be able to share, the peace of Christ!
Reverend David S. Marcham is the Vice Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton, and Director of the Father Peyton Guild, whose members pray for Father Peyton’s beatification and spread his message of the importance of Family Prayer. Prior to becoming a seminarian, Father David was a physical therapist and clinical instructor, serving hospital inpatients and outpatients throughout the greater Boston area for eleven years. In 1998 he heard the call to priesthood and was ordained in the Archdiocese of Boston in 2005. Father David grew up in Quincy, MA, and has fond memories of playing soccer, tennis and running track. You’re never without a friend when Father David is around, as he welcomes everyone into his circle with a smile on his face!
