Job 9:1-13, 14-16 / Luke 9:57-62
To believe in God and to trust in Him is never an easy thing to do.
In fact, we tend to blame God when bad things happen to us and we get angry with Him when things don't go our way.
We treat God our way, and very often it is not a very nice way.
But what if God were to treat us the way we treat Him? Certainly we would shudder and tremble if God were to really do that.
That is what Job was saying in the 1st reading. He asked questions like "How can a man be in the right against God?" "Can anyone be so rash as to challenge Him for reasons?"
Job was suffering and afflicted even though he knew he had done nothing wrong. Yet he knew who he was and who God is, and hence he was almost resigned to the fact that he would have to suffer innocently.
And yet when God became man in Jesus, He did not force people to believe in Him and to trust Him unconditionally.
In fact, Jesus had to reason out with people and put across the reality of facing hardship in following Him.
Yes, believing in Jesus and trusting in Him is never an easy thing to do. We will surely get tired, disappointed, discouraged and grumble against Him and even get angry with Him.
Yet may we also persevere and persist, and keep our hand on the plough and keep going forward with Jesus. To look back may mean going nowhere.