September 23, 2004 - Thursday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time

IN SEARCH OF MEANING

Readings:
Ecl 1:2-11; Ps 90:3–4, 5–6, 12–13, 14 and 17bc; Lk 9:7-9

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you came to make all things new
through Jesus Christ, your Son.
Let him question us
and let us question ourselves
whether we give him in our lives
the place he deserves.
Make him the meaning
of all we are and do,
for he is our risen Lord for ever.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction:
       Today we hear a man who is puzzled: Qoheleth, Ecclesiastes, the preacher (the man who speaks in the assembly) in search of answers to the problems of life; he is apparently a disillusioned man; "the inspired pessimist" as he is sometimes called, but he is a believer, and there must be answers.

First Reading: Eccl 1:2–11

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays.
The sun rises and the sun goes down;
then it presses on to the place where it rises.
Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north,
the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.
All rivers go to the sea,
yet never does the sea become full.
To the place where they go,
the rivers keep on going.
All speech is labored;
there is nothing one can say.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing
nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.
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. There is no remembrance of the men of old; nor
of those to come will there be any remembrance among those
who come after them.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 90:3–4, 5–6, 12–13, 14 and 17bc

R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Gospel Introduction:
       Herod, too, was puzzled about this man Jesus. He wanted to see this strange prophet about whom there were so many rumors. Does Jesus, do the gospel and life and our faith puzzle us? Are we in constant search of the deeper meaning of our Christian life?

Gospel Reading: Lk 9:7-9

King Herod heard of all that Jesus was doing and did not know what to think, for people said, "This is John, raised from the dead." Others believed that Elijah or one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. As for Herod, he said, "I had John beheaded; who is this man about whom I hear such wonders?" And he was anxious to see him.

Commentary

IN Matthew's account Herod said, "This is John the Baptist himself; he has risen from the dead…." This was in keeping with Matthew's tendency to see the present in terms of the past. But here in Luke's gospel Herod says, "John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?" He makes no confusion of past and present. True, "others" did, but not Herod-and not Luke. Luke was not Jewish and he seldom quotes the Old Testament. He is not interested in presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy; and he traces the genealogy of Jesus back to Adam, the 'founder' of the human race, rather than to Abraham, the founder of the Jewish race.

Herod, Luke says, was "anxious to see Jesus." Later in the gospel he hadn't lost this interest. "Herod was delighted to see Jesus; he had heard about him and had been wanting for a long time to set eyes on him" (23:8). The tone of Luke's gospel is a great openness to the future.

We can be so absorbed in our past that the present seems less real, and the future only a threat. When we look at one another we should see living people, not ghosts. Ghosts are creatures who have nothing but a past.

Intentions

- Lord, keep us always searching to understand you and our gospel better, we pray:

- Lord, let our faith be a light that makes us see the meaning of our lives, we pray:

- Lord, make us patient with those who are lax in their faith, that we may not extinguish the smoldering wick, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
through these offerings of bread and wine
your Son will appear in our midst
as the Lord of life.
Let him touch our hearts,
that we may fully believe in him
and that we may be alive
with the life he brought us.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
we know Jesus, your Son:
he has spoken to us
and shared his table with us.
Make us anxious
to see and recognize him
in the events of life
and in the people around us,
that life may not be empty and vain
but ever beautiful and new
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

Is everything really in vain? Is there no meaning in life? In moments of doubt and questioning, we ask ourselves perhaps this question. But then we remember we are people of faith, and our faith and our life are very meaningful. Let God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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