When I worked in academia, graduation tended to bring forth questions of making it on one’s own. Students wondered aloud or to themselves: Will things work out for me? Who has my back? Who will claim me? Today’s readings would be a great place to start.
The passage from the book of Job paints a vivid picture of disappointment, loss, deep suffering, and abandonment. God’s way is not the world’s way: Doing everything right does not guarantee a pain-free life. Quite the contrary. Giving ourselves to love, being responsible, reaching for our dreams, and heeding God’s call may open us to loss, or the grief of watching a loved one suffer, or the loneliness of defining fulfillment far from our society’s achievement metrics.
Yet on this same day, the celebration of the Holy Guardian Angels draws our attention to God’s emissary promised to each of us as our very own spiritual companion. Like children, we do not merit our guardian angels nor do we earn them by our own position, goodness, or success. In fact, in our brokenness and distress, our guardian angels work overtime. They help us call out to God who, as Psalm 139 proclaims, knows everything about us and never leaves us
As God’s children fearfully and wonderfully made, we are called to simply live this moment fully, trusting that we are loved. In the company of our spiritual companions, we do not face life on our own.
