In The Land Of Uz

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.  Thus begins the Book of Job in the Old Testament, a book which forms the readings for the clergy in the Office of Matins for the first two weeks of September.  These readings give us the opportunity to examine on a yearly basis the problem of suffering in this world and the patience and courage by which we are summoned to deal with our pains and tribulations.  But before we touch upon these things, there’s something else which should draw our attention in that very first line of the Book of Job.  “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.”  Why does Holy Scripture bother to tell us where Job lived?  Does it matter whether he lived in Uz or Oz?  Damascus or Dayton?  Apparently it does, and Pope St. Gregory the Great, in his commentary on the Book of Job, makes sure we understand how important it is.

St. Gregory points out that Uz is a place in the countries of the Gentiles.  These were pagan lands, which had become “so degraded and corrupted by sin,” says St. Gregory, “that they had ceased to know that they had a Maker.”  He goes on to say that “therefore is it told us where Job dwelt, that it may redound to his praise that he was good in the midst of the wicked.”  It’s easy enough, isn’t it, to be good in the midst of other good people.  But when the people around us are bad, it’s much harder to keep our morals intact and to remain a good person.  That’s why, as more of the population continue to lose their minds and morals, our world has become nothing more than a gigantic whirlpool dragging everyone down to destruction.

It’s why we find ourselves admiring the few conservative actors in Hollywood simply for being conservative in that den of sin.  Similarly, we find ourselves sympathetic to the even fewer conservative bishops in the conciliar Church.  They have had the courage to stand up for at least some of the truths of the faith while finding themselves overwhelmed and sidelined by the power of the modernist majority.  Men like Archbishops Lefebvre and Vigano are praised highly, and rightly so, for having the courage of their convictions in the modern-day Uz that is Rome.  We could say that the more godless our company the more heroic our faith—that is, of course, if we manage to keep it. But do we?

For it’s not just a question of where we live but indeed, of the company we keep, that makes us more or less worthy of praise.  After all, we can’t always help where we live, and we’re often stuck there for a variety of reasons.  But we can choose our company.  And if we choose to mix with a bad crowd, the chances are that they will drag us down to their level.  “But Father,” you may say, “we need to talk with sinners so that we can draw them to God.”  And I say to you, “Beware the sin of pride!  Are you so morally good that you cannot be tempted by the sinful behavior of others?”  “But God will protect me—I’m there for a good reason so he won’t let me fall.”  And then I will say, “Beware the sin of presumption!  God will not interfere with your free will.  He might help you with his grace, but a strong temptation may drag you to the point of ignoring that grace.”

No, we should watch out for these snares of the Devil.  He will lay them before us and lead us into temptation—the most cunning of all temptations, pride and presumption.

First, pride.  We should not seek to be “good” in order to receive praise, especially not from men.  Even praise from God, while we may welcome it, should not be the reason why we are “good”.  Our desire to be honorable must always be based on pleasing God for the sake of his own honour and glory, never for our own honour and glory.  We should want to please God because he is God, not because we want him to be pleased with us.  Pride lurks behind every door of the spiritual life, and we must always be concerned with our motivations and make sure they are focused on God and not ourselves.  Wilfully placing ourselves in the occasion of sin, with no proportionate cause for doing so, is not a humble act.  It is rather a way of seeking our own glory, showing the world what heroes, what saints we are.  Pride!

If we find ourselves accidentally in bad company, then that’s a whole different story.  If it wasn’t a deliberate decision on our part and we suddenly realize that, uh oh, I shouldn’t be here, then pray for deliverance.  If, through no fault of our own, we’re in a situation we can’t get out of, then we must humbly beseech our blessed Lord to keep us safe as he saved Daniel from the mouth of the lions.  But never, ever seek out bad company, and especially not with the false notion that we’re pleasing God and that therefore he will protect us.  Not a good idea!   Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God!  And to place ourselves willfully into the occasion of sin that is bad company is indeed to tempt God.  We would be inviting the devil to lure us into the deep waters where we are no longer in control of our options.  We would be putting our hand into the lions’ den thinking that God would be pleased with our “heroic” behavior.  But it is not heroic to dangle our souls in front of the devil’s face.  It is stupid.  If we must gamble with anything, let it not be with our immortal souls.  Let’s not be trapped by this foolish notion therefore, of all the good we can do by mixing with godless and sinful people.  On the contrary, we should flee their presence if we can.

So as we start the Book of Job, we already stand warned.  Choose your company well.  Don’t go live in Uz if you can help it.  And sometimes we can help it.  Sometimes we have options.  Remember the story of Abraham’s cousin Lot.  He decided to go live in the pagan city of Sodom.  Bad choice!  When we have important, life-changing decisions to make, give them plenty of thought.  Consult with good people before you jump into unknown waters, and take their advice if they warn you about jagged rocks or lurking sharks.  And on a smaller but more frequent scale do the same thing every time you decide to go out for the evening.  Pick your friends carefully, stay away from those wild parties, from the bad part of town, those drug-infested bars in the slums, the red-light districts.  Keep yourselves, and especially your souls, safe!  Your souls are worth the effort.  You might forget about them sometimes, but for your own sake don’t!  Stay safe.  Stay out of Uz!