There is a reading from the book of Job in this Sunday's assigned readings.  Given that the Easter season, following Lent as it does, is a festive time in the church year, I wondered why. The following are my thoughts on the matter. The book of Job is a reminder to us that we are entirely dependent on God's love and mercy for our very existence.  Job, in spite of all his sufferings, believed that his own righteousness would justify him to God.  It was only after God reminded him of the great gulf between God and man that he said, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand” and, “Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”  Even as we celebrate God's great mercy shown to us by Jesus' death and resurrection, it is good to be reminded of our own propensity towards self-righteousness, and seek to have the same humility that Job had by the end of his story.