Liturgical Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty Sixth Week

The liturgical readings for Wednesday of the twenty sixth week include a passage from the Book of Job and a passage from the Gospel of Luke.

In the first reading, Job responds to his friends by stating that a human cannot be justified before God. He describes God as wise in heart and powerful in strength, noting that God moves mountains, shifts the earth, and controls the sun and stars. Job acknowledges that God stretches out the heavens and performs countless wonderful and inscrutable deeds. He expresses that even if he were right, he would not answer but would instead beseech his Judge, doubting whether his voice would even be heard if God responded.

Interpretations of this text suggest that Job, while remaining faithful, questions the reason for his suffering and the fairness of his torment. The text notes that the Creator is incomprehensible to the limited human mind and that entering this mystery requires patience. It asserts that God shows immense patience by accepting human doubts and provided a complete answer by becoming human and ascending the Cross out of love for all people, including his executioners.

The Gospel reading describes three individuals who encounter Jesus while he and his disciples are traveling. The first person offers to follow Jesus wherever he goes, but Jesus warns that foxes have holes and birds have nests, while the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. A second person is told to follow Jesus but asks to first bury his father, to which Jesus responds that the dead should bury their own dead while the man proclaims the Kingdom of God. A third person expresses a desire to follow Jesus after first saying goodbye to his family, but Jesus states that anyone who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.

Commentary on these interactions identifies the three men as fervent, prudent, and hesitant. The text explains that following the Lord requires a readiness to lose human guarantees, the abandonment of all things for immediate action, and the release of past attachments. This total trust is compared to Abraham, who left his land without knowing his destination and agreed to sacrifice Isaac. The text also cites Chiara Badano, who, upon learning of a terminal illness, wrote in her diary that she wanted whatever God wanted.