Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays.
The sun rises and the sun goes down;
then it presses on to the place where it rises.
Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north,
the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.
All rivers go to the sea,
yet never does the sea become full.
To the place where they go,
the rivers keep on going.
All speech is labored;
there is nothing one can say.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing
nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.
What has been, that will be;
what has been done, that will be done.
Nothing is new under the sun.
Even the thing of which we say, “See, this is new!”
has already existed in the ages that preceded us.
There is no remembrance of the men of old;
nor of those to come will there be any remembrance
among those who come after them.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17bc
R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Alleluia: John 14:6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 9:7-9
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he kept trying to see him.
Meditation
Beloved in the Lord, may the grace of our Lord abound in each of our lives.
“Vanity, everything is ultimately vanity.”
If everything passes away and returns again, if there is nothing new under the sun, then why struggle? Why dedicate ourselves, innovate, build, and undertake new things? This is a legitimate question we may ask ourselves after reading this morning’s first reading.
The answer lies in choosing the purpose for which we give ourselves.
Indeed, as the text says, everything passes away—absolutely everything. Everything we do, everything we work hard for, everything we build will eventually pass away. We only need to look at the world today. In a matter of minutes, a wave can sweep away lives, buildings can collapse, and economies can disappear. Natural disasters remind us, in the events of recent days, of the fragility and vanity of our earthly realities.
We must therefore learn to distinguish what is essential from what is secondary. Why am I fighting? Who am I fighting for?
What does not pass away is love. What remains is love. What I do out of love, for the good of humanity and in obedience to God, leaves traces that do not disappear. When everything is lost, when illness has confined us to a bed, when all the wealth in the world has failed to save us, love remains.
The wise man asks us: Am I wasting my energy in vain, or am I bringing forth life and love through what I do? Are my activities at work, in my family, in my neighbourhood, and in my country carried out with love and for the good of everyone? What is my purpose? What is my goal?
Pursuing material goals to the point of giving everything for what is temporary is to labour in vain. Do I act while remembering that everything passes away, that what exists today may not necessarily be there tomorrow? Do I remember that what ultimately remains is the love we give and receive?
Prayer
Lord, teach us to number our days. Give us the grace not to become slaves to anything in this world, but always to look at our lives with perspective and keep what is essential in view.
Intercession
For all those who have great power and possessions, as well as for those who have neither, may the Lord grant each person the grace of humility.
Mother Mary, intercede for us.
Spiritual Exercise
Today, let us put love into each of our activities and offer them to the Lord.
Flora KAMTA
Community of the Disciples of the Living Christ
