Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
When In Pain We Complain
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Job cries out his misery in complaints to the Lord. He cannot take it, he doesn’t see any sense in it, and he asks God why. Jesus knows how to take suffering. He does not run away from it, for he accepts the consequences of his task: to be faithful, whatever the cost, to his mission of love of reconciling people to his Father and of saving us.
Gospel. The prophet Elijah did not find God in the storm wind or the earthquake or the fire, but in the gentle breeze. The “sons of thunder,” James and John, wanted fire to come down on the Samaritan village that did not receive Jesus, but Jesus reprimanded them. Violence is not God’s way.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we know that you love us
and that neither suffering nor pain,
even death can separate us from you.
Do not take it too seriously when we complain,
when we are impatient with you,
with ourselves and with people.
Keep before us the image of your Son
who could not be swayed from his mission
and give us the strength to follow him,
for he is our Lord for ever and ever.
First Reading
Job’s Response to Bildad
Then Job answered:
Very well, I know that it is so. But how can a mortal be justified before God?
If someone tried to engage with him, he wouldn’t respond more than once in a thousand attempts.
His power is immense, his wisdom deep. Who has challenged him and survived?
He moves mountains before they are aware; he overturns them in his rage.
He makes the earth tremble and its pillars quake.
He commands the sun, yet it refuses to shine; he seals off the light of the stars.
He alone stretches out the skies and treads on the waves of the seas.
He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and every constellation.
His wonders are beyond all reckoning, his miracles too numerous to count.
He passes by, but I do not see him; he moves on, but I do not notice him.
If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
How can I then answer him and find words to argue with him?
If he does not answer when I am right,
Even if I appealed and he responded, I don’t believe he would truly hear me.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Do they declare your mercy in the grave,
your faithfulness among those who have perished?
Are your wonders made known in the darkness,
or your justice in the land of oblivion?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
As Jesus and his disciples continued their journey, a man said to Jesus:
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus responded:
“Foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
To another, Jesus said:
“Follow me!”
But he replied:
“Let me go back now, because I want to bury my father first.”
And Jesus said to him:
“Let the dead bury their own dead; as for you, leave them behind and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Another said to him:
“I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.”
And Jesus said to him:
“Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– Lord Jesus, forgive us when we cry out our pain when it is hard to bear; help us, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, help especially people who are broken and discouraged and alone, that they may carry their burden with you, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, let those who are in a long and painful sickness feel your presence, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
at the table of your Son
uproot from our hearts
all bitterness and impatience.
You did not destroy us with fire from heaven
when we sinned against you and people.
Encourage us with the fire of love
and give us the bread of strength of your Son.
With him we offer you our pains,
our impatience, but also our joy and love.
Grant us this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Patient and loving God,
we know that you love us
and want us to be happy.
You let your Son pay the heavy price
for our pride and selfishness.
By this Eucharist, restore us,
keep us hoping and believing in you,
and dispose us to live for others
and if necessary in pain and toil
with them and for them,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who lives with you and stays with us now,
and we hope and pray, for ever.
Blessing
Yes, we have a Lord who was crucified, and we are his followers. But sometimes we forget and complain too easily. Of course, pain hurts, and we do not ask for it. May God stand by your side and bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Luke 9:57-62
Following Christ Without Delay
Luke presents three would-be disciples, and Jesus answers each. To the volunteer, he explains that the Son of Man has nowhere to rest. Discipleship offers no guarantee of security. Barclay observes that Jesus never recruits under false pretences.
The second man asks to bury his father. Barclay suggests that the father was likely alive; the request meant postponing discipleship until later. Jesus’ reply stresses the decisive moment. A good intention delayed can become a substitute for action. When grace stirs the heart, response cannot wait for circumstances.
The third man wants to say farewell. Jesus answers with the image of a ploughman. A straight furrow requires eyes fixed ahead; backward glances ruin the work. For Barclay, the Christian moves not toward sunset but dawn. God’s kingdom accepts no divided commitment.
Pope Francis names three demands: itinerancy, promptness, and decision. Jesus is not condemning family duties. He establishes the priority of following him and proclaiming the kingdom. Disciples must remain ready to move, respond without delay, and continue without being imprisoned by the past.
Saint Jerome illuminates this through his “living and tender love” for Scripture. He did not admire God’s word; he studied, translated, and obeyed it. Scripture became the road by which he followed Christ.
The question is whether Christ takes first place. Are we counting the cost, delaying a response, or looking backward? May Saint Jerome teach us to hear Christ in Scripture, rise, and follow him with undivided hearts forward.