Saturday of Week 26 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor
Job 42:1-3,5-6,12-17 | Psalm 118:66,71,75,91,125,130 | Luke 10:17-24
I know that you are all-powerful:
what you conceive, you can perform.
I am the man who obscured your designs
with my empty-headed words.
I have been holding forth on matters I cannot understand,
on marvels beyond me and my knowledge.
I knew you then only by hearsay;
but now, having seen you with my own eyes,
I retract all I have said,
and in dust and ashes I repent.
(Job 42:2-3,5-6)
I think we’ve all had to deal with That Person who claims authority on pretty much everything under the sun, and isn’t shy of making confident pronouncements on subjects on which they only have passing knowledge. They also tend to insist that they’re right even when being corrected, subtly altering their personal and verbal recollection of their own words to fit their challengers’ assertions. The most obvious example in current affairs is Donald Trump, and Always-Righters like him are very annoying to deal with.
In contrast, you may have noticed that I frequently use the words “I think” in my writings. The truth is that I can’t claim authority in anything except my own opinion, and I’d prefer to be crystal clear about that. I think I’ve gotten the details right, but if anyone challenges my words, I feel a responsibility to do additional research and, if my challenger turns out to be correct, issue a mea culpa and a retraction.
So why am I still blogging, if I can’t be sure that I’m writing Truth? Frankly, because I’m tired of being a closet Catholic, flying under the radar and doing just the minimum to keep my involvement in my faith. I feel the urge to push the boundaries of my knowledge, and if I get things wrong on occasion, it’s actually refreshing to receive the equivalent of the late and much-beloved Fr. Louis Fossion’s “stupid lah!”
Lord, give me the courage to proclaim Your Word, and the humility to appreciate being corrected. Amen.