This Lent as I buckled down to more prayer and time with the Scriptures, I stumbled upon an even broader lesson applicable to every person in every age, a lesson that encompasses the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane, a lesson that connects the events of Good Friday with those of Easter Sunday, a lesson so obvious that it is overlooked and forgotten by many Christians.

Let’s review. Job is “a blameless and upright man…who feared God and avoided evil” (Job 1:1), blessed with many children and animals (the measure of wealth in that time), “so that he was greater than any of the men of the East” Job 1:3. Then satan appears before the throne of God and accuses Job of only being good because he is blessed. God trusts Job’s faithfulness and gives permission for him to be tested. In one day all of Job’s children and animals are lost through natural disasters and theft. Upon hearing of the tragedies, Job responds by blessing God: “’The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!’

Let’s review. Job is “a blameless and upright man…who feared God and avoided evil” (Job 1:1), blessed with many children and animals (the measure of wealth in that time), “so that he was greater than any of the men of the East” Job 1:3. Then satan appears before the throne of God and accuses Job of only being good because he is blessed. God trusts Job’s faithfulness and gives permission for him to be tested. In one day all of Job’s children and animals are lost through natural disasters and theft. Upon hearing of the tragedies, Job responds by blessing God: “’The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!’

In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God”. (Job 1:21-22) Satan tries again with head-to-toe boils. Neither bodily suffering nor the unhelpful “help” of his accusatory friends push Job to curse the Lord as satan wishes. Job does, however, ask the Lord to explain why he is suffering after his friends have given him their long-winded views. God answers him by reminding him that He is the Provident Creator and proceeds to prove it by blessing his latter days more than his former, multiplying his animals, sending friends with gifts of gold and blessing Job with more children.

The often overlooked lessons of Job focus on the power of “permission” and the very natures of God and satan. Once satan has permission he will enter into a situation bringing death, destruction, and accusation. Granting satan permission leads to suffering, while calling on God leads to healing and restoration sometimes on a physical level, always on a spiritual level.

How do we give satan permission? In Job’s special case he was “blameless” and the Lord gave permission for him to be tested to teach a lesson. We, however, often give satan permission through our choices. Few people make an outright deal with the devil. Most of us open our lives to his actions in much smaller and more subtle ways, often without realizing it. Scripture gives us the examples of murderous falls beginning with adultery for Herod and Herodias and stealing at work for Judas. Meditating on the First Commandment to worship the Lord God and to serve only Him illuminates many ways the evil one can gain access: by placing things, other people or ourselves before God; by opening the door to the occult through astrology, ouija boards, tarot cards or psychics; by focusing our minds on movies, games, music and books that glorify magic or evil; by employing new age practices like reiki or transcendental meditation; and by exploring non-Christian beliefs such as paganism, wicca, and yoga, to name but a few. The nine other commandments open even more possibilities. (For more information, please see The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 2084-2128 and “Jesus Christ The Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the ‘New Age’ by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.)

How do we take back what we have ceded? The bad news is that we of ourselves cannot regain the control we have lost despite what self-help gurus would like us to believe. The good news, however, is in fact “The Good News” we celebrate this Easter: Jesus Christ has died for our sins. Triumphing over sin and death, He is waiting for us to call out to Him so that He can retake what we gave away. He waits, holding out peace and reconciliation to us if only we will take it. Remember the lesson from the Cross: one thief reviled Jesus and held onto his sin, while the other acknowledged his sin and asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom. The latter was promised Paradise that day. The choice is ours; it is not automatic. We must do our part and ask His mercy.

Consider what Jesus told St. Faustina: “When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My heart always flow down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of Mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.” (Diary, 1602)

So what is the real life application? We are rarely blameless, so Job’s special case is usually not the norm, however, the larger lesson certainly applies. Anytime that we give satan permission to enter into our lives, our homes, our work or our relationships death, destruction and accusation will follow until we call on God to heal and restore and take back what we have ceded to the enemy. Celebrate the power of the Risen Christ. Claim the full power of Easter. Run to Jesus with trust and let Him free you, heal you and, at least on a spiritual level, restore what was lost.