DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Ecclesiastes 1,2;2,21-23; Colossians 3,1-5.9-11; Luke 12,13-21)
(Ecclesiastes 1,2;2,21-23; Colossians 3,1-5.9-11; Luke 12,13-21)
The first verse of this short reading, Ecclesiastes 1,2;2,21-23, sets a tone that may appear to some to be an exaggeration. The construction vanity of vanities is the way the superlative is expressed in Hebrew. The word, vanity itself means breath or vapour. It denotes transitoriness or the lack of substance. It is from this that we get the idea of meaninglessness. We should not conclude that the author is suggesting that something is necessarily meaningless in itself, since breath is certainly very important. It is the transitoriness that is of concern here. Therefore, just as some have translated the phrase as Meaninglessness of meaninglessness ... Everything is meaningless, one might also read it as Transitoriness of transitoriness. . . .Everything is transitory. Qoheleth is less a name than an occupational title. The occupation of the author is generally understood to be that of teacher or preacher. This is not an insignificant point, given the position of importance accorded the teacher in ancient Israel. In order to make his point, Qoheleth not only employs the superlative form, he repeats it and then restates his appraisal: All is vanity! Qoheleth provides an anecdote to illustrate the point he is making. According to conventional Wisdom teaching, one should be able to enjoy the fruits of one's labor, provided it was done in a fitting manner. Good work should be rewarded. The man described here laboured with wisdom and knowledge and skill. There is no question about his right to take pleasure in the fruits of that labor. However, here the transitoriness is found in life itself. It seems the man does not live long enough to enjoy his goods. Furthermore, these goods will go to one who did not earn them, so there is a double inequity.
In Colossians 3,1-5.9-11, Paul begins his discourse with the indicative/imperative form: You have been raised with Christ, so act as risen people. He contrasts heavenly reality with earthly existence. The things above are the things of God, things that are essential for salvation, things with ultimate meaning. They belong to the realm of the redeemed. Paul encourages the Colossians to seek the higher things not in order merely to discover them but in order to live by them. Paul in exhorting the Colossians to set their minds with intent and determination on the things of heaven offered three reasons as basis for it. First, they are now joined to the risen Christ. Second, Christ's life is the new source for their own lives. Third, joined to the risen Christ, they will share in his ultimate manifestation in glory. This manifestation is a future event. Until then, they live hidden in Christ. This does not mean that their Christian way of life will go unnoticed. Quite the opposite! It will be seen by all, but it will not be esteemed by the world because the Christians will not be living according to the values of the world. They will have to wait until Christ is manifested in glory before the value of their lives is acclaimed. Until then they will have to accept misunderstanding, vilification, even persecution. However, when Christ appears, they will be vindicated. Paul goes even further in his censure of the things of the earth, identifying them with moral depravity. He lists some of the vices to which believers are inclined despite their new existence in Christ. The exhortation directs the Christians to die to a sinful way of living. Of the vices listed, four are of a sexual nature, the fifth is more general, and the last is contrary to truth and love, the basis of life in common. All are regarded as earthly desires because they are deviations of concerns of this world-sexual behaviour, the use of material goods, and the truth about the foundation upon which society is based. If the Colossians set their minds on the things above, they will engage in earthly affairs in the proper manner. The transformation the Colossians have undergone is characterised as putting off the old self and putting on the new, as one would change clothing. Paul combines this metaphor with the notion of renewal of the self that was originally made in the image of God (cf. Gen 1,27). Sin distorts the way one manifests the image of God; transformation in Christ renews it. Finally, Paul insists that in this new way of living there are no distinctions that feed bias or discrimination, whether that bias be based on race, religious origin, gender, culture, or social status. In Christ it makes no difference whether one is a Greek or a Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian or civilised, slave or free. While the actual distinction does not fade, the bias that accompanies it has dissolved. There are no longer such separations. Christ is the exclusive and determining force in all. 
In the gospel pericope of Luke 12,13-21 Jesus is approached by a man who wants him to act as arbiter between himself and his brother. The dispute is over inheritance, but what follows shows the real issue is greed. Jesus uses this encounter as an occasion to teach a lesson about the futility of a life spent in amassing material possessions. The man in the parable Jesus uses to illustrate this point is judged by God to be a fool, someone who has not learned the important lessons life has to teach. The rich man is not censured because of his wealth. Nor is he criticised for not attending to the needs of those less fortunate than he. His foolishness is much deeper; it is the attitude of greed that underlies his actions. Such an attitude determines how he values his wealth and what he will do with it. His life consists in amassing more and more. His folly is evident in the fact that he stores his grain without safeguarding it from decay. This point is important for the parable. It is an example of how goods that are not used will not last. The only way he makes use of his wealth is to indulge in a life of hedonistic excess (cf. Isa 22,13; 1 Cor 15,32). The man's death is not a punishment for his greed. It is simply the end of his life of excess. It points out the futility of that life. He spent it collecting what does not last and what is thereby ultimately valueless. Before he told the parable Jesus already alerted the crowd as to its meaning: One's life does not consist in possessions. Possessions do not last. At death they are passed on to another, and there is no way of knowing whether that other person will use them well or not (cf. Ecc 2,19). Jesus draws out the moral of his story. It is foolish to devote one's life to amassing goods and to be bereft in what matters to God. Jesus is not specific here about what matters to God, but it is dear it is not material possessions. 
The readings for this Sunday pose a fundamental question that can be stated in several ways: To what do we commit ourselves? Where are our hearts? What is most important in life? The Wisdom character of these questions cannot be denied. Wisdom tradition occupies itself with the basic questions of life: What is the meaning of life? Where do we find our fulfilment? These are questions all women and men of every time and place and culture ponder. The disciples of Christ, we Christians of today, are no exception to this questioning. However, they and us will be identified as disciples in the way they answer. Both the first reading and the psalm response speak about the transitoriness of life. It is all we have, and it is so fragile, so fleeting. It seems we just learn what living is all about and then our lives begin to diminish. We don't have the time to enjoy what it is we have discovered. What frequently keeps us from living life fully is the thought that we can only do so if we have accomplished particular feats, gained a certain reputation, and secured desired goods. While there is nothing wrong with any of these goals, there is no guarantee they will deliver the fulfilment we expect of them. And if we have denied ourselves and others the joy of real living in our attempts to obtain them, we have been wasting the life given to us. The time we have in this life is not only transitory, it is also fleeting. It flies by. When we realise this, we may fear that in the end we will have nothing to show for our lives. How sad to think such thoughts! They show we have not learned the most basic lesson of life, which is: Life is to be lived! Living creatures live on the fruits of the earth. This is certainly true of human beings. We need food and water to survive; we need material for clothing and shelter. We are artists, and so we use the elements of the earth to reproduce it in new and creative ways. We are toolmakers, and so we use the stuff of the earth to make life more comfortable. The goods of the earth are not only good, they are essential for our survival and advancement. However, they do not satisfy the deepest longings of the human spirit. They do provide us with pleasure and challenge, but they cannot shield us from the transitoriness of life itself. In the face of such impermanence they are ultimately worthless. When the fruits of the earth are not used to enhance the life of the earth, they lose their value; they spoil and even decompose. Life itself is the far greater good; goods only enhance life. Recognising the transitoriness of life and the vanity of goods, we come to see that the only reality worthy of our total commitment, the only reality not transitory or vain, is our relationship with God in Christ. Though made of dust and thus subject to perishability, we are joined with Christ and promised imperishability. Having died to the vanities of this world, having taken off our old selves with their evil desires, we can now live in this world with a new self, in generosity rather than greed, with openness to others rather than religious or gender or social biases. In our commitment to Christ we will discover that we can transform what is transitory in life by giving it away in love. If we can live in this way, life is anything but vanity! Let us pray in the liturgy of today for the grace to be in intimate relationship with Christ from whom we shall learn not only the true worth of earthly riches but also how to use them profitably for the well fare of our neighbours and for our salvation. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
 Graphics (Pictures) added by Chukwubike OC may not correspond with the readings but with the current affairs in the diocese |
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