Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on SoundOn
Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Job 19:21–27
Job is suffering.
But his suffering is made heavier by the words of his friends.
They do not comfort him.
They accuse him.
They suggest that his pain must be his own fault.
His relatives keep their distance.
His friends despise him.
Even those close to him do not understand him.
So Job cries out:
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, my friends.
This is a very human cry.
A person who suffers does not first need an explanation.
He needs compassion.
He needs someone to stay near.
He needs someone to say:
I do not understand everything,
but I am here.
Job also wants his words to be written down.
He wants his pain to be remembered.
He wants his innocence to be known.
And that wish came true.
His words were written.
His story entered the Scriptures.
For centuries, Job has helped people who suffer unjustly,
people who grieve,
people who feel abandoned,
people who struggle with God in the dark.
Then, in the middle of his pain,
Job says something astonishing:
I know that my Redeemer lives.
The word Redeemer means someone who stands up for you.
Someone who defends you.
Someone who rescues you.
Someone who does not allow your story to end in shame.
In the Old Testament, a redeemer could be a family member who protected the weak,
rescued the poor,
or defended the murdered.
In the Book of Ruth, Boaz becomes such a redeemer for Ruth and Naomi.
Job believes that someone will stand up for him.
Someone will defend him.
Someone will have the last word.
For us, that Redeemer is Jesus Christ.
He has stood on our side.
He has taken upon Himself our sin,
our shame,
our pain,
and our death.
He has entered the grave.
And He has conquered it.
That is why we can say with Job:
My Redeemer lives.
Job also says that he will see God.
This is the deepest desire of the human heart:
to see God,
to live with God,
to be finally healed in His presence.
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus understood this trust.
She knew that holiness is not about being strong,
but about placing ourselves with confidence in the arms of the Father.
So today, when suffering comes,
when answers do not come,
when even friends do not understand,
let us hold on to this hope:
our Redeemer lives.
And one day,
we shall see God.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Content License
© 2025 Krakus.
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
(Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial).