Job 29:2

If he actually searched for his former happiness, that was in order to show the providence of God; this is clear when he says, "In the days when God watched over me." Then he gives evidence of this godly watch. "When his lamp," he says, "shone over my head." This means, you will make the light of my lamp shine, because a lamp is really necessary, if the present darkness is deep, if the difficulties of my situation are serious, as well as the assaults of physical suffering, and the plots of the wicked and the fights and attacks of cruel demons. All this shows that "by his light I walked through darkness." You see that darkness invades everything and that "light shines through darkness." But, as natural darkness is useful to have rest, it is not useful because of its own nature but thanks to the wisdom of God, who has created everything.

"Who will bring me back to the months of my first days? This seems to apply to the Church united to Jesus Christ, its head; as if it were in the time when tribulation and trials abound, in these days announced by the Lord in these words: "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Lord, and you will not see it (4). In fact, when the Savior was on earth, no anxiety came to pierce the nascent Christian people: he was composed of the first believers, among whom more than five hundred brothers, to whom, according to the testimony of the Apostle, the Lord deigned to appear after his resurrection (5). There was no reason then to fear seeing the Church badly governed, nor divided by the betrayals of heresy or schism. Nor did she suffer from external persecution: there was still no trial for her either inside or outside. Job speaks here in the name of humanity, that is to say, the people of the New Testament, desiring to see these days again, as the Savior had predicted. He calls them months, not years, because from the moment Christ chooses His disciples until His death, we can only count months, not years.

Who would give me that I might be as in the months past? For Holy Church being borne down with sorrows is to say many like things. For it shall be for her to be besieged with such great tribulations, as with great sighing to long for these times, which we undergo with great sorrow. So then let her say, let her say in the voice of blessed Job, Who would give me that I might be as in the months past? For because an appointed number of days has the name of 'months,' what else does he signify by the title of months, but the gatherings of souls? For days, while they are gathered in months, are removed away, because in this time as well Holy Church, while she gathers in souls shining bright with the light of truth, hides them in the interior depths. Sometimes also a month is put for perfection, as when the Prophet says, It shall be a month from a month; i.e. perfection in rest to those, to whom there may now be perfection in practice. So let her remember her perfection of old, let her bring back to mind with what preaching of hers, by souls gathered in, she carried off her gains, and being straitened by tribulations, let her say, Who would give me that might be as in the months of old?