Friday, September 29, 2006
Memorial, St. Jerome, priest & doctor
September 30, 2006
Memorial, St. Jerome, priest & doctor
Saturday 25th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II
ECCLESIASTES 11:9-12:8
Rejoice, O young man, while you are young and let your heart be glad in
the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of
your eyes; Yet understand that as regards all this God will bring you
to judgment. Ward off grief from your heart and put away trouble from
your presence, though the dawn of youth is fleeting. Remember your
Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come And the
years approach of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them;
Before the sun is darkened, and the light, and the moon, and the stars,
while the clouds return after the rain; When the guardians of the house
tremble, and the strong men are bent, And the grinders are idle because
they are few, and they who look through the windows grow blind; When
the doors to the street are shut, and the sound of the mill is low;
When one waits for the chirp of a bird, but all the daughters of song
are suppressed; And one fears heights, and perils in the street; When
the almond tree blooms, and the locust grows sluggish and the caper
berry is without effect, Because man goes to his lasting home, and
mourners go about the streets; Before the silver cord is snapped and
the golden bowl is broken, And the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the broken pulley falls into the well, And the dust returns to the
earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, all things are vanity!
LUKE 9:43-45
While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his
disciples, "Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is
to be handed over to men." But they did not understand this saying; its
meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and
they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
REFLECTION
Today's first reading is somewhat sad and depressing. Qoheleth advises
youths quite positively to follow the ways of their hearts, to seek the
fulfillment of the vision of their eyes. But the "dawn of youth is
fleeting," Qoheleth asserts and will soon be replaced by "the evil
days" which are the years of aging.
Qoheleth uses what the Vatican II Missal calls "beautiful images for
old age." Some of us would rather call them pained, depressing images
of the end years of life. Old age is a time of darkness, when the body
trembles and is bent, when teeth are useless because they are few, when
eyes grow dim and arms and legs feeble, when there is no longer any
song, when lips grow quiet and appetite weak, when all ends in the snap
of the silver cord, in the shattering of the golden bowl, when "dust
returns to the earth as it once was and the life breath returns to God
who gave it. Vanity of vanities ... all things are vanity."
Jesus in today's Gospel tries to get the disciples to recognize that
being the Messiah is not going to be easy, a series of military
victories, a path marked by triumph and joy, totally free of any
failure. "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of men." He
will be put to death.
Luke mentions that the disciples failed to understand Jesus' message
and asked no questions about it. They asked no questions because they
didn't want to know what he was talking about. His words, while
somewhat vague, were nonetheless fearfully threatening. It was better
to remain ignorant.
Yet, in spite of all the talk about Jesus' suffering and death, there's
no sense of profound depression on Jesus' part. He will have bad
moments, in the Garden and on the cross. But his depression is not
enduring. In the end he will trust his Father to raise him from the
dead, to restore life to him.
Qoheleth believed in God. There's not doubt about this. But he lived in
an era before God was known as inviting men and women to share his
immortality. If there is no life beyond death, if all a person has
accomplished is buried with him in the grave, hope is absent, leaving
fertile ground for depression and despair. We are blessed. Like Jesus,
we hope and trust in God, his Father.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the safe travel of Lydia and Jaja.
- for the special intentions of the Pe Family.
- Birthday: Hector Aguilar
- Birthday: Richard Yap
- for the personal intentions and discernment of Trinna
- for the continued recovery of Tito Cale and Abbie.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Felipe T. Macahilig, Sr.
Eternal rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him.
May they and all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rebecca Chua Lim Siu Cheng
- Wedding Anniversary: Benjamin & Michelle Lynette Yu Jones
- In Memoriam (+): Albina Alarcon Lee
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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