Saturday, 30 July 2016
VANITY OF VANITIES ALL IS NO MORE VANITY
“Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity”. Ecclesiastes 1:2 (The New Revised Standard Version).
Let me start today’s daily reflection with a story. A story was told of a man who had great wealth. He was considered the wealthiest in his community. He was so prominent and everyone in the community thought he had no reason whatsoever to be unhappy. But the man considered himself unfortunate. He was a man of great wealth but no rest of mind.
He had children and everything that can make any man happy. But the thought of losing his wealth and fame always kept him on edge. It was as if the more his wealth grew, the higher his troubles rose. He had great wealth to enjoy the outer world but less wealth to enjoy his inner world.
This is a story that is very peculiar to every wealthy man who had not learnt to trust in the providence of God. King Solomon calls it “vanity of vanities”. We exist today and tomorrow we are nothing. He somewhat sounds like an existentialist, but he was stating the obvious verity. We have cleaved to this world as if it is the only place for us. The thought of death does not cross our mind when we worry about the things of the world. Quite all right, I accept the fact that we must enjoy the things of the world because they are meant to be enjoyed and even God encouraged us to do so. But should we behave like that proverbial drunkard who saw that there was enough wine at his disposal and forgot that he will drive himself home alone after the party. After drinking, he couldn’t find anyone to drive him home. He took his car key and drove off in his car. You can imagine what happened on the way.
We are supposed to live life, life shouldn’t live us. so many great men have walked on the surface of this earth but today where are they? The only thing they left for us are the stories of their great deeds and legends. Some are true while some are fabricated. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”. They are all vanities. We are born today and we die tomorrow. We are like the shadow that fades away at the passing of the sun. like the dew that disappears at sunset.
But thank God! Christ has come and died for us. He has given life its essence - meaning and reason to live it. He did not just come to die and go back, he died and still remains with us in the sacraments of the Church. The sacrament is a great sign of Christ’s love and presence in his Church. We are the predestined souls. Our generation is favoured; for many prophets and holy men sort to see, hear and witness what we are experiencing today but never got the opportunity.
Life is no longer meaningless. It is no more fruitless, aimless and emptiness. It now has a meaning. The meaning that was restored by the death of Christ. He has settled every debt and set us free to enjoy life and live life to the fullness. He came that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). I don’t suppose that the life Christ gives is meaningless and aimless. He has blessed this life with his blood and we know that his blessings makes us rich and adds no sorrows to it (Proverbs 10:22). Therefore, child of God, live your life in full and joy because it is not vanity, for Christ has turned all vanities to fruitfulness.
At the end of this daily reflection let us turn our gaze to the great SAINT PETER CHRYSOLOGUS whom we celebrate today and ask his intercession. Also join other Christians to say today's prayer intention PRAYER FOR FRUITFULNESS
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my beloved brother.. i am happy that we have a gifted genius like you amongst us in the community..... each time i read your daily reflection i am always touched and moved in the spirit of your writitng .......trying to practice it out in this our temporal life......i have seen that what ever we have in this life is never permanent even this earthly life... what is permanent iiiiis life through christ,, this i call salvation through christ... Materialism is a distraction to the call of Christ to christianity......
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