Word to the Wise
Thursday, September 23, 2010 - St. Pio of Pietrelcina [Padre Pio]
[Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 and Luke 9:7-9]Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!.......What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun. Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!" has already existed in the ages that preceded us. [Ecclesiastes]
Two thoughts run quickly across my mind when this opening passage from Ecclesiastes shows up! The first is the old song, Que sera, sera! [What will be, will be!] and the second is the question, "What would Qoheleth think of cell phones?" For some folks, Qoheleth is a model for living simply in the present without any care for the future or worries about the past. For others, Qoheleth is a consummate fatalist whose motto is, "Why bother?" At least one learns the source of the expression: "Nothing is new under the sun!" There is wisdom in this little book, but it requires that we step back and think about it! What should be our reaction to such human achievements as the pyramids or Aztec temples or the Great Wall of China? Are they monuments to human genius or are they proof that nothing on this planet lasts forever? Is the view from Qoheleth a "God's eye view", or is it simply cynicism? If there is nothing new under the sun, can we even use the word, "progress?" How do all human achievements stack up against the view from the Hubble telescope? Why does my cell phone seem outdated after a year? Tomorrow the wisdom of Qoheleth will expand with the famous "There is a time for....." passage. Today those words, "Vanity of vanities...." challenge us to look around and see for ourselves and perhaps take a "God's-eye view" and then say to Qoheleth: "Oh yeah? What about.......?" AMEN
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