It might help to briefly summarize the Book of Job, since the book is so condensed in the readings we hear this week. After Job is afflicted, losing everything and everyone he loves most, losing bodily health and physical comfort, he is visited by three of his friends. They come to comfort him, but after sitting with him in silence for days, they chastise him. They see only guilt when God allows a man to be afflicted. The reading today comes after multiple rounds of discourse, in which Job’s friends repeat the idea that Job must have sinned, otherwise he wouldn’t be so afflicted.
Job knows that he is blameless. He intelligently summarizes his friends’ arguments and points out that he is known for being upright. Job’s repeated refrain is this: “I know that God is good and just, and that He has the right to do whatever He wants. But I have not sinned, and I don’t understand why He is letting me be afflicted. Let me state my case to Him, and let Him listen to me.”
It is in this context that Job says the words in our reading: “But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust” (Job 19:25). Job does not say this after hearing good news. He says this at the lowest point of his life, without family and berated by friends. There is no reason for him to believe that things will get better. Yet, he still trusts God. He does not necessarily believe that his fortunes will be restored. But he trusts that God has a reason for His actions. He trusts that if God would hear him out and explain Himself to him, the answer would be sufficient. Even in excruciating pain, Job knows that God is good.
The seventy-two disciples in today’s Gospel have to practice a different sort of trust in God. Jesus sends them out “like lambs among wolves” — not good prospects for safety (Luke 10:3). Yet, He tells them to cure the sick, and also to raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons (see Matt 10:8). How are they supposed to do this as lambs among wolves? Jesus does not say. But He expects them to work these miracles. As Job had to trust God in the midst of the most difficult experiences of his life, the seventy-two had to trust that Jesus could work miracles through them. And He did, as they report when they return.
These faithful disciples of Our Lord cause us to look within ourselves: Do you really trust God? Do you believe that He knows what He is doing and that it is good, even if His actions seem unreasonable? Do you believe that He can work miracles in you, even in the midst of danger and uncertainty? Do you trust Him, even when there appears to be no reason why you should?
Puede resultar útil resumir brevemente el Libro de Job, ya que el libro está muy condensado en las lecturas que escuchamos esta semana. Después de que Job se ve afligido, perdiendo todo y a todos los que más amaba, perdiendo la salud corporal y la comodidad física, lo visitan tres amigos suyos. Vienen a consolarlo, pero después de sentarse con él en silencio durante días, lo castigan. Solo ven culpa cuando Dios permite que un hombre sea afligido. La lectura de hoy viene después de múltiples rondas de discursos, en los que los amigos de Job repiten la idea de que Job debe haber pecado, de lo contrario no estaría tan afligido.
Job sabe que es inocente. Resume inteligentemente los argumentos de sus amigos y señala que es conocido por ser recto. El estribillo repetido de Job es este: “Sé que Dios es bueno y justo, y que tiene derecho a hacer lo que quiera. Pero yo no he pecado, y no entiendo por qué permite que yo sea afligido. Déjame exponerle mi caso, y que me escuche”.
Es en este contexto que Job dice las palabras de la lectura de hoy: “Yo sé bien que mi defensor está vivo y que al final se levantará a favor del humillado” (Job 19,25). Job no dice esto después de escuchar buenas noticias. Lo dice en el punto más bajo de su vida, sin familia y reprendido por sus amigos. No hay razón para que crea que las cosas mejorarán. Sin embargo, todavía confía en Dios. No cree necesariamente que su fortuna será restaurada. Pero confía en que Dios tiene una razón para sus acciones. Confía en que si Dios lo escuchara y se explicara, Su respuesta sería suficiente. Incluso en medio de un dolor insoportable, Job sabe que Dios es bueno.
Los setenta y dos discípulos en el Evangelio de hoy tienen que practicar un tipo diferente de confianza en Dios. Jesús los envía “como corderos en medio de lobos”; no con buenas perspectivas de seguridad (Lucas 10,3). Sin embargo, les dice que curen a los enfermos, que también resuciten a los muertos, que limpien a los leprosos y que expulsen a los demonios (ver Mateo 10,8). ¿Cómo se supone que deben hacer esto como corderos en medio de lobos? Jesús no lo dice. Pero espera que hagan estos milagros. Así como Job tuvo que confiar en Dios en medio de las experiencias más difíciles de su vida, los setenta y dos tuvieron que confiar en que Jesús podía obrar milagros a través de ellos. Y lo hizo, como cuentan cuando regresan.
Estos fieles discípulos de Nuestro Señor nos hacen mirar adentro de nosotros mismos: ¿Realmente confías en Dios? ¿Crees que Él sabe lo que está haciendo y que es bueno, incluso si sus acciones parecen irrazonables? ¿Crees que Él puede obrar milagros en ti, incluso en medio del peligro y la incertidumbre? ¿Confías en Él, incluso cuando parece que no hay razón para que lo hagas?
David Dashiell is a freelance author and editor in the Nashville, Tennessee area. He has three children, a degree in theology, and enjoys writing about philosophy, theology, culture, music, and comedy. You can find his personal blog, Serious Daydreams, on Substack. He is also the editor of the anthology Ever Ancient, Ever New: Why Younger Generations Are Embracing Traditional Catholicism, available through TAN Books.
Feature Image Credit: SMK open, Public Domain, art.diocesan.com/stock-photo/job-and-his-friend-17791/
Deanna G. Bartalini, M.Ed.; M.P.A., is a certified spiritual director, writer, speaker and content creator. The 
Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 19 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Thirteen of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the executive editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program—an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students. You can reach her at 
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