Br. Aquinas Beale, O.P., on Facing Our Littleness

"But that’s not what I said! What I was trying to say was much subtler, much more profound, much more just than that…

"How often do we think these words when we experience the (sometimes playful) derision and ridicule of others in response to a complaint we have made? Even if we can see how our complaint can be taken as petty and selfish, it can be a struggle to take the not so subtle criticism gracefully. Indeed, the temptation is to become indignant and frustrated that our complaint has seemingly fallen upon deaf ears. How can we be sure that they even understood what we were saying? After all, that’s not what I said!

"Perhaps Job had a similar reaction to the dramatic criticism of Elihu. If there was ever a person with justice on his side, it must have been Job. Here was a man whom even the Lord upheld as unparalleled in his piety and fear of God (Job 1:8), yet he still suffered immensely.  To make matters worse, his own friends refused to accept the justice of his case, advising him to own up to some transgression he never committed. And if that wasn’t enough, there came along that pesky upstart, Elihu, who exaggerated Job’s claims to innocence (33:9) and apparently fabricated his alleged transgressions (34:8). When would this mockery on mockery come to an end? How could Job endure such an unjust representation of his complaint?"

In a recent commentary, Brother Aquinas Beale, O.P., reflected on the seeming injustice we face in various circumstances and on God's response to these issues.

To access Br. Aquinas' complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: Facing Our Littleness (15 DEC 15)