Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time—Romans 11:33-3

In this week’s second reading, Saint Paul concludes his three-chapter exploration of how the Jewish people could reject Jesus as Messiah and yet remain God’s Chosen People. He ends this intricately woven section of Old Testament quotations and illusions with a doxology, a hymn of effusive praise to God.

On the surface of things, that’s a strange way to end an argument. But he is making the point that even if we can’t follow the argument or grasp the reason for a difficult situation, we stand on rock solid ground in believing that God knows what he is about. He works all things for good. His gifts and his calling are irrevocable. And as our Good Father, he knows more than we do.

There are some things that a child just cannot grasp. From my children’s perspectives, an 8:00 PM bedtime, an all out ban on yelling in the house, reasonable limits on what you can and cannot do with scissors, a structured way to apologize for major grievances all seem inscrutable and unsearchable and arbitrary. I hope and pray that someday, with a new perspective brought on by age and life experience, they will look back and say, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of my parents!” I’m not holding my breath that it will be that effusive though.

The point is there are some things kids just can’t get and parents do get because parents actually know more than kids. Similarly, there are some things that we human beings just can’t get. God actually does get it all! He is smarter than we are, stronger than we are, more perfect than we are—in fact, he is perfect. If he’s allowing you to be in a tough situation in your family and relationships, in your professional life, in your finances, in whatever facet of life, he has you there for a reason. It may not be a reason that you are capable of understanding right now. In these moments, we have to cling to the fact that God’s wisdom and knowledge are deep and rich, and that he has good plans for us.

Saint Paul quotes Job 41:11 in this reading. That verse comes from an interesting section of Job. After all the troubles Jobs faces and the lengthy debates with his friends about how all these bad things could possibly happen to him if he is righteous—they contend that he must have sinned to deserve such troubles—Job finally calls out to God to explain himself. God shows up in a whirlwind and sarcastically lectures Job at length about how a creature can’t really understand how the Creator creates. God reminds him of all the mysteries of the universe that are beyond Job’s understanding and control. God is God, and Job is not. I’m the parent, and you are the kid. Or as Saint Paul ends this week’s reading, “For from him and through him and to him are all things.”

Today, as I struggle with the mysteries of my own life, I hear the Holy Spirit challenging all of us to trust him. We should keep seeking to understand as best we can, but ultimately we need to praise God that he is bigger than us, that he understands more than we can, and that he is in control.