Daily Readings - Thu Sep 24 2020
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
In today’s readings, we encounter two distinct yet interconnected reflections on the human search for meaning and truth. The first reading from Ecclesiastes presents a somber meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the futility of earthly pursuits. The author laments that all human endeavors under the sun are “vanity of vanities,” a cycle of repetition and impermanence. The earth endures, but human generations rise and fall, and even the greatest achievements are forgotten over time. This reading invites us to confront the limits of human ambition and the transience of worldly gains.
The Gospel reading shifts our focus to the confusion and curiosity of Herod the tetrarch. Herod has heard of Jesus’ mighty works, but he is torn between doubt and intrigue. Some suggest that John the Baptist has risen from the dead, while others speculate that Elijah or another ancient prophet has reappeared. Herod’s uncertainty reflects the human tendency to seek meaning in the familiar, even when faced with something entirely new and transformative. His desire to “see him” reveals a deep-seated longing for truth, though it is clouded by his own preconceptions and fears.
These readings remind us that the search for meaning is universal, yet it is easy to become mired in doubt or distracted by the cycles of the world. Ecclesiastes warns us against chasing after things that will inevitably pass away, while the Gospel invites us to look beyond the surface and embrace the radical newness of God’s plan. In our own lives, we often find ourselves caught between the futility of earthly pursuits and the hope of something greater. Let us turn to Christ, who alone can satisfy our deepest longings and offer true fulfillment. May we not be content with the fleeting, but instead seek the eternal truths that only God can provide.