The image of Jacob wrestling with “a man?” an angel? God? is one that resonates with people’s experience. We have our idea about how things should go — good health, happy family, financial security — and wrestle with God when it doesn’t turn out as we had planned. “Why me, Lord?” asks an old country song. The story of Jacob also reminds us that we are not the same after wrestling with God. Jacob developed a limp after the divine encounter. There is a saying from St. Thomas Aquinas that can serve as commentary. He observed that limping in the right direction will get you where you are going faster than running in the wrong direction. As we limp along we come to trust in God’s will.
JULY92019
By Church Staff
