February 7, 2021
Sunday Nomba 5 for Ordinary Time, Year B
Readings for Today
Job talk say: Human life for this earth no be work wey dey tire person?
My days dey pass faster than di shuttle wey weaver dey use weave cloth; dem dey end without hope. Remember say my life be like breeze; I no go see happiness again. Job 7:1, 6–7
Di funny thing be say, as soon as dem finish this reading for Mass, di whole congregation go answer, “Thanks be to God!” Na true? This reading na something wey we suppose thank God for? We really wan thank God for this kind talk wey full of pain? Yes, we really suppose do so!
Job dey clearly talk about feelings wey all of us dey experience sometimes. E talk about night wey sleep no gree come. Feelings say hope don lost. Months of suffering. And other things like that. We hope say these feelings no dey happen every day. But dem real, and everybody dey experience dem sometimes.
Di key to understand this passage na to look at Job whole life. Even though e feel this way, e no allow di feelings control di decisions wey e make. E no surrender completely to despair; e no give up; e stand firm. And e no waste! E remain faithful to God through di terrible loss of everything wey precious to am, and e never lose faith and hope for his God. For di darkest time of his life, even his friends come tell am say God dey punish am and say no hope remain for am. But e no gree listen to dem.
Remember Job powerful words, “Di Lord give, and di Lord take away; make praise dey go to di name of di Lord!” Job praise God for di good things wey e receive for life, but when dem take those things away, e continue to bless and praise God. Na this be di main lesson and encouragement wey Job life dey give us. E no surrender to di way e feel for di reading above. E no allow di temptation to lose all hope stop am from praising and worshipping God. E praise God for EVERYTHING!
Di terrible suffering wey Job face happen for a reason. Na to teach us this important lesson about how to handle di heavy burdens wey life fit bring our way. One interesting thing be say, Job na real source of encouragement for people wey dey carry heavy burdens. Why? Because dem fit understand wetin e pass through. Dem fit understand his pain and learn from how e continue to hold on to hope.
Today, think deeply about Job. Make his life encourage you. If one particular burden for life dey weigh you down, still try to praise and worship God. Give God di glory wey His name deserve simply because His name deserve am, no be because you feel like to do am or you no feel like to do am. As you do this, you go see say your heavy burden dey make you stronger. You go become more faithful as you remain faithful when e really hard to do so. Job do am, and you too fit do am!
Lord, when life hard and di burden heavy, help me make my faith for You and my love for You grow deeper. Help me to love and worship You because na good and right thing to do for every situation. I love You, my Lord, and I choose to praise You always! Jesus, na You I trust.
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Di main picture above: Job and His Friends, wey Ilya Repin paint
Dem go celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life for di weekend of February 6-7, 2021. Abeg, pray for all those wey don commit themselves to life wey dem dedicate to God, and make sure say you thank dem. Make Jesus Christ continue to inspire dem, and make dem respond with generous heart to di gift of their vocation wey God give dem.
