Reflection on readings for February 7th

Some of us find a very good friend in Job, as he talks about himself in this weekend’s first reading (Job 7:1-4, 6-7). Typically, the first reading is selected because of its thematic tie-in with the Gospel. Given the oppressive religious atmosphere and the even more oppressive demands of the Roman Empire, all the people who came to or were brought to Jesus in the Gospel felt a lot like Job. We pray that, like Jesus, we can listen attentively to another’s pain without offering any solution or advice. Like Jesus, we do our best to let the love present within us be what energizes us to care as He did.