Sept. 23, Lectionary # 452
90:3-4.5-6.12-13.14.17. Luke 9:7-9.
Ouch! My latest reading on Ecclesiastes gave me information about the
symbol of vapor for vanity. Then as I continued reading I found that there
are seven vanities or vapors that the author develops so that all of the
days of creation are thought of in terms of vanity. Literally, the word
"hebel" means a breath, or that which lacks substance. The use of the
expression vanity of vanity emphasizes that this is the ultimate mother of
all vanity! Qohelet, the name of the preacher-teacher-philosopher for this
work is commented upon by a rabbi who sees the seven vanities applying to
the seven normal stages of a "man's life" :"At one year old he is like a
king, everyone embraces and pays deference to him. At two and three years
he is like a pig, groping in the gutters. At ten, he skips like a young
goat. At twenty he neighs like a horse and seeks a wife. After marriage he
bears burdens like an ass and hardens his face like a dog in search of
sustenance. In old age he is like an ape!" (Soncino Commentary in
Megilloth, pp,108-109.
Ecclesiastes and Job are the most philosophical books of the Bible
(Tanach). They are classified as wisdom literature and are geared to
reflect on the various seasons of a person's life and his or her
experiences whether good or bad. There is wisdom in its sarcasm, wit, and
even in its negativity on some dimensions of our lives. You cannot be
thin-skinned or politically correct when you read some of the verses of
wisdom in these books. More than a reflection on creation itself, it
examines time, life expectancy, boredom, and the sheer difficulty of our
trying to make life meaningful or to make sense of it as the years roll on.
Doubts start to cloud our minds and we listen to strange theories about the
meaning of life at its beginning and especially as we come to our last
days. We need such literature and it is inspired. It keeps us humble and
truthful about who we really are and to whom we owe all of what we are that
is good-- God. This book in its pristine form did not have the word God
within it and almost was excluded from the Hebrew canon. Thanks to a final
redactor who made sure there was an allusion to God as the book ends.
Ecclesiastes is not always right according to what we think about the same
subjects today, but it is interesting and striking. It forms the title for
books, for modern song, and for those who like to think pessimistically.
For example, it tells us "there is nothing new under the sun." And we do
well to drink our wine and settle in for boredom. Ouch again!
Then we are enlivened by the Psalm which is quite realistic and more in
tune with our spiritual way of looking at things than our rational
theorizing and speculating. This psalm shows us the limits of years that
we experience and we are fortunate if we reach seventy and even strong if
we reach eighty. The key to its message however is this wonderful verse:
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart."
One of the panels on the nearby Humanities Building of a university has
this citation "The heart has its reasons that reason does not fathom." How
different a slant from that of Qohelet or Ecclesiastes. God is central to
the Psalm and quite personal as always in this collection of hymns and
praise of God. We therefore can be optimistic and hopeful about our lives
and what happens to them under God's providential and loving care.
Does the Gospel passage about Herod Antipas have any message for us? I
think so. It has him saying that Jesus may be John the Baptist risen from
the dead or one of the resurrected prophets. Maybe the sly old fox as Jesus
called him, had a belief in the Resurrection through what he received as a
cradle half-Jew. And perhaps the Bible mirrors our human behaviors and
thoughts so well that we can always learn from it and enter into the realm
of true wisdom as a gift of God given to us who search, research, and
believe things about a personal God. Amen.
posted by Fr. Bert SM at 9:09 AM
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