25th week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2006

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8. Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14,17. Luke 9:43b-45

Today, we end the readings from Qohelet, the preacher of Ecclesiastes, with a summary of human life experiences and how limited they are. The writer ends with the famous superlative of Hebrew thought, "Vanity of vanities (literally, "vapor of vapor."). In the selection and summary we move from the early stage of joyful and adventuresome youth to the banality and boredom of old age. But as we continue on with the Psalm we find there is another way of looking at life that is more in tune with our relationship with God through praise and worship. The Psalmist reminds us that the wisdom we need is that of the heart not of the mind alone. As young persons we are to have remembered our Creator and as we move to the last decades of life we are to recall that "the dust returns to earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it.

Jesus is our model for such wisdom of heart. He has gone through human life in joy, suffering, rejection, and death, but he returns to God through his resurrection. Jesus is trying to help those around him to reflect on what will happen to him as he ascends toward the holy city of Jerusalem for the last time. He tells us his followers, "Pay close attention to what I tell you: the Son of Man must be delivered in to the hands of men." His disciples and followers failed to comprehend this. They were wanting in wisdom of heart. They did not dare to ask him what this meant for they were afraid. (This reminded me of Mark's dramatic ending of his Gospel in Mark 16:8: "So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." We are the followers of Jesus and are offered the same words of Jesus, "Pay attention to what I will tell you...". Fortunately, like his mother Mary we can ponder over these events of our lives in relation to his with wisdom of the heart. Amen.