Ecclesiastes is not one of the most loved books of the Bible. In fact, some may sometimes wonder why it is in the canon at all. But some, such as the clergyman of past prominence Sir Edwyn Hopkins believe, Ecclesiastes is the most Christian book in the Old Testament!
What he meant was that Ecclesiastes is a ruthless exposure of what human life is, apart from God and, if taken really seriously, prepares the way for a hearing of the gospel of Christ. Ecclesiastes is not so much good news as it is the bad news that must be heard before the good news becomes audible. “Vanity of vanities,” all human life is ultimately futile and meaningless if viewed apart from God.
The Gospel of this day draws together the thoughts of the first two readings and gives them precision. The rich fool is a man who lived his life without reference to God and was caught in the toils of futility and meaninglessness (“vanity of vanities!”). He organized his life without reference to the transcendent; he did not “seek the things that are above.” So comes the crashing judgment: “This night your soul [that is, your life] is required of you.” Because he viewed this present existence as autonomous, without any reference to God, because he organized it without reference to the transcendent upon which it depends (note how he thought his own existence was under his own control), it came as a shock to learn that it was God’s to give and God’s to take away again.
The rich fool condemns himself to an existence that is, qualitatively speaking, a life in death, and unfortunately possibly many Christians in the first world choose the same. So many seek meaning and satisfaction in wealth, pleasure, knowledge, and work but these pursuits ultimately leave them unfulfilled.
We all need to look beyond the fleeting nature of earthly pursuits and seek a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God. If we were to enter deep prayer with God and pray over these scriptures, is there one of us that would not feel conflicted and accused? So, now what? We seek more what is above, think more of what is above, strive to be people of charity specifically mindful of the poor and suffering and try to put to death the idolatry of the self.
“The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are.” St. Mother Teresa
God Bless,
