A view of vanity

The tension between interest and disinterest is a theme in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Friar Jude Winkler notes that Ecclesiastes by Qoheleth is very interesting but not in the usual Wisdom book pattern. We risk becoming arrogant when our pursuit of Wisdom fills our mind with the illusion of understanding. The situation of Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, in his fascination with Jesus, and before his execution at the hands of Herod, John the Baptist confirms the experience of many who watch and listen to the preacher and the disciple yet seem to be resistant to move toward greater involvement in relationship with the One about Whom they witness. Our attention to the words and actions of attractive speakers may need to break through the deep interest we have in our own agendas and plans to attain gratification through diligent work in a world which Barbara Dilly warns may be full of vanities unless we move to understanding how little we understand.

Link to the commentators