Daily Retreat 09/25/08
2008 Sep 25 Thu: Ordinary Weekday
Eccl 1: 2-11/ Ps 89(90): 3-4. 5-6. 12-13. 14 and 17bc/ Lk 9: 7-9
From today’s readings: “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!... Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart..... Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed....”
The Churchman
A small sampling of the book of Ecclesiastes will be presented over the next few days. “Ecclesiastes” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Qoheleth,” which means “churchman,” or “man of the assembly.” The book’s stark realism appeals strongly to people who appreciate that, but one must avoid a superficial reading which could lead to the conclusion that the author is cynical. Although Qoheleth’s “vanity of vanities” refrain is often plagiarized by cynics, the Churchman is not that at all, unless one is limited by a strictly materialist worldview.
As with much of wisdom literature, the words of Ecclesiastes challenge the reader to look at the big picture of life, rather than the narrower day-to-day issues which occupy most of our thoughts, because so much of those insipid issues are nothing but “vanity of vanities.”
What do you spend your time doing? Where are you going in life? What in this world have you found with lasting value? These, and other philosophical “meaning of life” questions are too frightening for so many people to take the time to answer - they’d rather shake them off with the convenient excuse Scarlet O’Hara relied on in Gone With the Wind: “I can’t think about that right now - I’ll think about that tomorrow!” Ecclesiastes insists that we can and must confront the “big questions,” but the mind must first be cleared of superficialities and vanities in order to make room for sublimities.
Eccl 1: 2-11/ Ps 89(90): 3-4. 5-6. 12-13. 14 and 17bc/ Lk 9: 7-9
From today’s readings: “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!... Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart..... Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed....”
The Churchman
A small sampling of the book of Ecclesiastes will be presented over the next few days. “Ecclesiastes” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Qoheleth,” which means “churchman,” or “man of the assembly.” The book’s stark realism appeals strongly to people who appreciate that, but one must avoid a superficial reading which could lead to the conclusion that the author is cynical. Although Qoheleth’s “vanity of vanities” refrain is often plagiarized by cynics, the Churchman is not that at all, unless one is limited by a strictly materialist worldview.
As with much of wisdom literature, the words of Ecclesiastes challenge the reader to look at the big picture of life, rather than the narrower day-to-day issues which occupy most of our thoughts, because so much of those insipid issues are nothing but “vanity of vanities.”
What do you spend your time doing? Where are you going in life? What in this world have you found with lasting value? These, and other philosophical “meaning of life” questions are too frightening for so many people to take the time to answer - they’d rather shake them off with the convenient excuse Scarlet O’Hara relied on in Gone With the Wind: “I can’t think about that right now - I’ll think about that tomorrow!” Ecclesiastes insists that we can and must confront the “big questions,” but the mind must first be cleared of superficialities and vanities in order to make room for sublimities.
posted by FrPitstick | 9/23/2008
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