Reflection
We spend most of our days encountering other people, from a passing greeting to a deep conversation. Today’s readings offer two very different encounters, and one common message.
Job is in deep suffering, and worst of all, no one will listen, not even God. He is so desperate to be heard that he wants his words carved in stone. His three closest friends come to him. For seven days they sit with him in silence which is the best support they give him. Then they begin to talk, and instead of listening, they explain why he is suffering.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus sends seventy-two disciples ahead of him, two by two. His instructions are plain: no purse, no bag, no sandals, stay in one house, and eat what is set before you.
Jesus is sending them into other people’s lives without the things that normally give us control. They will depend on strangers for food and shelter. They can offer peace, healing and the good news of God’s kingdom, but they cannot control how anyone responds. Some will welcome them; others will not. Because they arrive with nothing, they must receive, and receiving is the attitude of a good listener.
Job’s friends came with answers. Rather than entering his suffering, they tried to explain it, fitting his pain neatly into their idea of God.
We may do the same. We listen while already composing our next comment. We offer advice before we understand the problem while we miss the person standing right in front of us.
Jesus offers a different way: go gently, offer peace, take what is given, and speak when the time comes, without trying to control the answer.
Today, let someone finish a sentence, then ask one more question before you say anything of your own. Job wanted his words carved in stone. Most people only want to be heard.
Perhaps one of the simplest gifts we can give another person today is our willingness to truly encounter them.
