Daily Readings - Thu Sep 27 2018
Ecclesiastes
2"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."3What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?4Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.5The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.6The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.7All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.8All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.9What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.10Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.11There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.
Luke
7Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead,8others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.9But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?" And he tried to see him.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the fleeting nature of life and the human search for meaning. In the first reading from Ecclesiastes, we hear the familiar refrain, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." The author laments the cyclical and repetitive nature of life, where generations come and go, and the earth remains unchanged. The sun rises and sets, rivers flow to the sea and return, yet humanity struggles to find lasting fulfillment. This passage reminds us that, despite our efforts and labors, much of what we experience in life is transient and unsatisfying. It challenges us to look beyond the surface level and seek deeper meaning.
In the Gospel, we encounter Herod, a man consumed by doubt and curiosity. He has heard of Jesus' works, but he is unsure who Jesus is. Some think Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead, others believe he is Elijah or one of the prophets of old. Herod's confusion reflects the spiritual blindness of those who cannot see beyond the immediate and the familiar. Like the author of Ecclesiastes, Herod is trapped in a cycle of uncertainty, unable to recognize the truth standing before him. This passage calls us to examine our own hearts and ask: Are we, like Herod, so focused on the temporary and the familiar that we fail to see the extraordinary work of God in our midst?
These readings remind us that true fulfillment and understanding come not from chasing the fleeting things of this world but from seeking the eternal and the divine. Ecclesiastes urges us to look beyond the vanity of life and find meaning in God, who is unchanging and everlasting. The Gospel challenges us to open our hearts and minds to the possibility of encountering God in unexpected ways. Let us not be like Herod, stuck in a cycle of doubt and confusion. Instead, let us seek the truth with humility and faith, knowing that only in God will we find the peace and fulfillment we so deeply desire.