Faith and Frailty

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to reflect on our life journey and and celebrate the Presence of God in both our joys and sorrows.

The Path of Faith

The reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes is a poem on Youth and Old Age.

* [11:7–10] The concluding part of the book opens with a final bittersweet homage to life and an enthusiastic encouragement to rejoice in its gifts while they are within grasp.

* [11:10] Fleeting: lit., “vanity.”(Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [12:1–7] The homage to life of 11:7–10 is deliberately balanced by the sombre yet shimmering radiance of this poem on old age and death. The poem’s enigmatic imagery has often been interpreted allegorically, especially in vv. 3–5. Above all it seeks to evoke an atmosphere as well as an attitude toward death and old age.

* [12:3–5] An allegorical reading of these verses sees references to the human body—“guardians”: the arms; “strong men”: the legs; “women who grind”: the teeth; “those who look”: the eyes; “the doors”: the lips; “daughters of song”: the voice; “the almond tree blooms”: resembling the white hair of old age; “the locust…sluggish”: the stiffness in movement of the aged; “the caper berry”: a stimulant for appetite.

* [12:6] The golden bowl suspended by the silver cord is a symbol of life; the snapping of the cord and the breaking of the bowl, a symbol of death. The pitcher…the pulley: another pair of metaphors for life and its ending.

* [12:7] Death is portrayed in terms of the description of creation in Gn 2:7; the body corrupts in the grave, and the life breath (lit., “spirit”), or gift of life, returns to God who had breathed upon what he had formed. (Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 90 praises God’s Eternity and Human Frailty.

* [Psalm 90] A communal lament that describes only in general terms the cause of the community’s distress. After confidently invoking God (Ps 90:1), the Psalm turns to a complaint contrasting God’s eternity with the brevity of human life (Ps 90:2–6) and sees in human suffering the punishment for sin (Ps 90:7–12). The Psalm concludes with a plea for God’s intervention (Ps 90:13–17). (Psalms, PSALM 90 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus again Foretells His Death. (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jay Carney comments that today’s readings challenge us not to avoid the difficult realities of life, including the shadow of death.

A friend of mine once told me a story about a Benedictine colleague who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. My friend stopped by his office to express his condolences. The monk looked up, paused, and replied, “I think about my death every day.” As a Benedictine, he had routinely prayed and meditated on the last things, including today’s Psalm 90 asking God to “teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Let us ponder those words this weekend. (Carney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The scapegoat foreshadowed Christ's passion,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"The mystery of the passion may be seen also in another instance. According to the Mosaic law, two goats were offered. They were not different in any way from one another (Leviticus 16:7-8), but they were alike in size and appearance. Of these, one was called 'the lord,' and the other was called 'sent-away.' When the lot was cast for the one called 'lord,' it was sacrificed. The other one was sent away from the sacrifice, and therefore had the name of 'sent-away.' Who was signified by this? The Word, though he was God, was in our likeness and took the form of us sinners, as far as the nature of the flesh was concerned. The male or female goat was sacrificed for sins. Death was our desert, for we had fallen under the divine curse because of sin. When the Savior of all undertook the responsibility, he transferred to himself what was due to us and laid down his life, that we might be sent away from death and destruction."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 53) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:8 urges us to not be too quick to dismiss Qoheleth’s warnings. He reminds us that life is short and fragile. Such a practice has a long history. Memento Mori, or “remember your death,” was a popular tradition in the medieval Church.

It’s not morbid or unhealthy to think about our eventual passing, especially when we also remember the hope that we have of eternal life. Today, imagine that you have only days to live, and then ask the Spirit to help you see what you might do differently right now. Trust that he will give you the grace to make those changes so that you can live an abundant life now and one day enjoy the riches of heaven!

“Jesus, thank you for giving me a future full of hope!” (Meditation on Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:8, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the passage from Qoheleth urges us to enjoy life while young before we have to deal with a broken body. This is not to advocate boisterous or pleasure seeking living but doing the best we can. Friar Jude notes the difference between the Messiah expected by the disciples and the Love for All expressed by Jesus on the Cross. 

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister who identifies purity of heart as an essential commitment for the Desert Monastics.

No doubt about it: Total concentration on the one thing necessary—a heart centered on the will and love of God—determines every action of your life. It will carry you through life as much as life carries you—only with more fulfillment. It is a beacon from the desert calling you yet to continue your own pursuit of the presence of God, to concentrate always on the purity of heart that seeks one thing only and always.  

Your heart is the real compass of your life. The Desert Monastics knew that over fifteen hundred years ago and you know it yet: Purity of heart is the gift that guides you, leads you, shepherds you from one end of life to the other, always content knowing that you have done what you were born to do. What else could possibly be worth a life? (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the path we are taking in life with gratitude and recognition that our Life in the Spirit best guides our decisions.

References

Carney, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092824.html 

Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ecclesiastes/11?9 

Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ecclesiastes/12 

Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?43 

Meditation on Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/28/1085347/ 

Psalms, PSALM 90 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/90?3 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Cultivating a Contemplative Consciousness: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/cultivating-a-contemplative-consciousness-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep28 

Seasons and Destiny

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the path of our life as our opportunity to be in relationship with the source and summit of our existence.

Seasons of our Life

The reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes declares everything has its Time in the God-Given Task

* [3:1–8] The fourteen pairs of opposites describe various human activities. The poem affirms that God has determined the appropriate moment or “time” for each. Human beings cannot know that moment; further, the wider course of events and purposes fixed by God are beyond them as well.

* [3:11] The timeless: others translate “eternity,” “the world,” or “darkness.” The author credits God with keeping human beings ignorant about God’s “work”—present and future. (Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 144 is a prayer for National Deliverance and Security. 

* [Psalm 144] The Psalm may reflect a ceremony in which the king, as leader of the army, asked God’s help (Ps 144:1–8). In Ps 144:9 the poem shifts abruptly from pleading to thanksgiving, and (except for Ps 144:11) shifts again to prayer for the people. The first section (Ps 144:1–2) is a prayer of thanks for victory; the second (Ps 144:3–7a), a humble acknowledgment of human nothingness and a supplication that God show forth saving power; the third (Ps 144:9–11), a promise of future thanksgiving; the fourth (Ps 144:12–15), a wish for prosperity and peace. A prayer for deliverance from treacherous foes serves as a refrain after the second and third sections (Ps 144:7b–8, 11). Except for its final section, the Psalm is made up almost entirely of verses from other Psalms.

* [144:1–2] Composed of phrases from Ps 18:3, 35, 47–48.

* [144:3] Similar to Ps 8:4.

* [144:4] Composed of phrases from Ps 39:6; 102:12. (Psalms, PSALM 144 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents Peter’s Declaration about Jesus as He foretells His Death and Resurrection.

* [9:18–22] This incident is based on Mk 8:27–33, but Luke has eliminated Peter’s refusal to accept Jesus as suffering Son of Man (Mk 8:32) and the rebuke of Peter by Jesus (Mk 8:33). Elsewhere in the gospel, Luke softens the harsh portrait of Peter and the other apostles found in his Marcan source (cf. Lk 22:39–46, which similarly lacks a rebuke of Peter that occurs in the source, Mk 14:37–38).

* [9:18] When Jesus was praying in solitude: see note on Lk 3:21.

* [9:20] The Messiah of God: on the meaning of this title in first-century Palestinian Judaism, see notes on Lk 2:11 and on Mt 16:13–20 and Mk 8:27–30. (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Larry Hopp declares “It is God who is in complete control.” We can never fathom how this all works simply because our God is beyond anything that we could ever grasp.

Dear Heavenly Father,  help us to find eternal peace with the fact that we will never be able to fully grasp the magnitude of who You are.  Help us to remain forever grateful that You are fully engaged in every moment of our lives.  Help us to keep our eyes constantly upon You so that Your love may effectively flow through us, enabling our lives to point to You and You alone. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen (Hopp, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Peter confesses that Jesus is God's Anointed Son and Savior of all,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"You see the skillfulness of the question. He [Jesus] did not at once say, 'Who do you say that I am?' He refers to the rumor of those that were outside their company. Then, having rejected it and shown it unsound, he might bring them back to the true opinion. It happened that way. When the disciples had said, 'Some, John the Baptist, and others, Elijah, and others, that some prophet of those in old time has risen up,' he said to them, 'But you, who do you say that I am?' Oh! how full of meaning is that word you! He separates them from all others, that they may also avoid the opinions of others. In this way, they will not conceive an unworthy idea about him or entertain confused and wavering thoughts. Then they will not also imagine that John had risen again, or one of the prophets. 'You,' he says, 'who have been chosen,' who by my decree have been called to the apostleship, who are the witnesses of my miracles. Who do you say that I am?'"(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 49) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 comments that Qoheleth, the author of Ecclesiastes, wrote that there is a “time” for all things; God gives us tasks to “be busied about” (3:1, 10). But even though God put the timeless into our hearts, we don’t really discover “from beginning to end, the work which God has done” (3:11). In other words, even though we are meant for eternity, we don’t fully understand how God uses the tasks he places before us to prepare us for eternity. We are somehow in the dark about the meaning of it all. And so Qoheleth becomes despondent.

It matters how we spend our time here on earth because the choices we make can help carry out God’s plan in the world. But the ways we spend our time can also increase our longing for heaven and make us more ready to spend eternity with God. May we learn the wisdom of living with our feet on earth and our hearts in heaven!

“Eternal loving God, help me to use the time you’ve given me with an eye toward eternity.” (Meditation on Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the hymn of Qoheleth that declares we must follow the plan of God to have peace. This is an idea similar to Stoic philosophy. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus represents Himself as the Son of Man, connecting to Daniel 7, and the suffering servant of Isaiah who will be different from the Messianic ideas of the people of Israel.

The reflection from Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, was not available at publication time.

We ponder the resonance of the hymn of Qoheleth, the author of Ecclesiastes, to our life journey even as we accept the promptings of the Spirit to reveal the path to fullness of life.

References

Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ecclesiastes/3?1 

Hopp, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092724.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9? 

Meditation on Ecclesiastes 3:1-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/27/1084867/ 

Psalms, PSALM 144 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/144?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Who Do You Say That Jesus Is? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep27