Scripture:
Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23
Luke 9: 51-56
Reflection:
Today the church celebrates the memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux, but the first reading and responsorial psalm can hardly be described as celebratory. Job recently lost all his possessions and suffers from painful sores all over his body. He wonders why he did not die at birth. You can feel his emotional and physical pain. The psalmist echoes Job’s despair, that the Lord has rejected his pleas and hidden his face. You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into the dark abyss.
St. Therese, who was blessed with a deep spirituality and love for God, was tormented during the later years of her short life with doubts of the existence of eternity. “[God] allowed my soul to be overwhelmed with darkness, and the thought of Heaven, which had consoled me from my earliest childhood, now became a subject of conflict and torture.” (Story of a Soul)
The fictional Job and the real-life St. Therese discovered, despite their doubts, that God was present throughout their suffering. Job seriously questioned God but never cursed Him. Therese never gave up on her prayer life even in her darkest times.
We may experience our own spiritual or mental crisis, but God never abandons us at challenging times in our life. Dr. Jessica Coblentz speaks of meeting God in the wilderness in times of personal crises, especially mental illness. At that time, it may be difficult to recognize God is walking along with us. We should be open to finding professional assistance, especially when prayer is most difficult, or God seems so distant. Whether we meet with a spiritual director or a professional counselor, these support systems may be exactly the gifts we need to navigate these very difficult personal challenges.
May we be open to encountering God in the wilderness of our lives.
Mike Owens is coordinator of the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission of Holy Cross Province. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.