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“Qoheleth”
artist and date are unknown. |
Readings for Saturday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Ecclesiastes 11:9—12:8
Rejoice, O young man, while you are young
and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart,
the vision of your eyes;
Yet understand that as regards all this
God will bring you to judgment.
Ward off grief from your heart
and put away trouble from your presence,
though the dawn of youth is fleeting.
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the evil days come
And the years approach of which you will say,
I have no pleasure in them;
Before the sun is darkened,
and the light, and the moon, and the stars,
while the clouds return after the rain;
When the guardians of the house tremble,
and the strong men are bent,
And the grinders are idle because they are few,
and they who look through the windows grow blind;
When the doors to the street are shut,
and the sound of the mill is low;
When one waits for the chirp of a bird,
but all the daughters of song are suppressed;
And one fears heights,
and perils in the street;
When the almond tree blooms,
and the locust grows sluggish
and the caper berry is without effect,
Because man goes to his lasting home,
and mourners go about the streets;
Before the silver cord is snapped
and the golden bowl is broken,
And the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the broken pulley falls into the well,
And the dust returns to the earth as it once was,
and the life breath returns to God who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
all things are vanity!
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Commentary on Eccl 11:9—12:8
Qoheleth reflects upon the passage of life, and enjoins the young to enjoy their youth but follow God’s law, because, in the end, they will be held accountable. He goes into an account of the loss of pleasure as death approaches, and once more announces that all human efforts are vanity in the face of God’s plan and power.
CCC: Eccl 12:1 1007; Eccl 12:7 1007
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17
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.
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Commentary on Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17
The psalm in its entirety is a communal lament. The strophes in this selection reflect on the mortality of humanity, and the brevity of human life. (It is also an example of the human understanding that God’s immortal view of time is not like ours.) The sense of human mortality and the questioning nature of the strophes echo the thoughts of Qoheleth (Solomon) in Ecclesiastes 1:2-11.
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Gospel: Luke 9:43b-45
While they were all amazed at his every deed,
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them
so that they should not understand it,
and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
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Commentary on Lk 9:43b-45
Jesus begins this second announcement of his coming passion using language that would have evoked a sense of the holy as his words (literally, “lay these words within your ears”) would be reminiscent of Exodus 17:14b. “meaning; Think seriously about what you have seen and heard, for my life is moving determinately to a violent death. Handed over: From Isaiah 53: 12 (LXX) the fourth song of the suffering servant.” [5] The fact that the disciples “should not understand it” was not seen as a defect of belief on their part, but rather as necessary (not yet time) in the plan of revelation.
CCC: Lk 9:45 554
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Reflection:
We struggle sometimes with the question: “How much of what happens in our lives is planned, preordained, and how much is cause and effect?” It is clear, reading the words of Qoheleth in Ecclesiastes, that he believes much of what transpires is imminent – that any struggle against the inevitable is futile (vanity). While Qoheleth speaks from the perspective of God’s “unknowable” plan, Jesus, in St. Luke’s Gospel, sees the path ahead of himself clearly. Like the chess master, the Lord sees the “end game” laid out before him.
For us, what is important about Jesus’ foreknowledge is that it is one more proof of his divinity. Remember, this is not the first time he has related these future events. He does it, this time, making clear reference to historical predictions, as he uses language that must feel to his audience as if the great prophet Isaiah was speaking to them. But, according to St. Luke, this reference did not make things clear; rather the opposite. Perhaps it was because they were afraid. Or perhaps it was because they did not want to understand that the Lord was not speaking figuratively. Possibly they thought he was speaking like Daniel, in visionary terms, highly symbolic, not literally. Whatever the case or purpose, they did not grasp what was to come.
We also struggle with what the Lord tries to tell us. We pray, we read the Word of God, we meditate upon what has happened in our lives, and try to create a pleasing path forward with our own attempts to follow Jesus’ example. Yet we do not know what God has planned for us, or how that plan might be made known.
What is clear to us is that God made us in his image and likeness. In doing so he gave us free will to make decisions, to choose our path, for good or ill. While, in his omnipotence, the Lord knows our choices in advance, he does not choose for us, nor does he force a path upon us. He accepts our choices as part of his creation. It is much like a parent who knows their children well. They know in advance what choices their children will make, and allow them to make those choices, learning from them. The Lord loves us unconditionally, and always gives us a way back to him when we choose incorrectly.
Today we take exception with Qoheleth. Our lives are not in vain, and we know our life on earth is indeed finite, and we will return to God: “And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it.” What we do with that life can be rich and beautiful as God intended, and we can choose a path of peace, thanks to His Only Begotten Son – Jesus.
Pax
[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5: “Outside Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Easter Time, on Saturdays which have no commemoration having the rank of Obligatory Memorial or higher, a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated. This is indicated in the calendar by “BVM.” The readings and prayers may be selected from the
Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
[2] The picture is “Qoheleth” artist and date are unknown.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 44:92.
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