The readings ask me and each person questions about their life and where they are going. So I ask: How do I spend my time? Even deeper and more honestly, where do I waste my time? For me, I go to the computer and sometimes just spend an inordinate amount of time looking up things that have nothing to do with anything or I play some card games. Is there a problem with this; not necessarily, but when I think afterward, ‘Boy did I waste that time; I could have been doing…’ I must re-examine the time I spend on this. Ecclesiastes refers to this as “Vanities”. According to Webster ‘vanity’ means something that is empty or useless. In scriptural context the word means ‘breath or vapor’; it denotes the transitory nature of something or the lack of substance. ‘Vanity of vanities’ is a way of expressing the superlative; so Quoheleth is saying that everything is transitory. He really is strongly suggesting that my life on earth is temporary and if I look at what I do for satisfaction, I may be avoiding working on my way to heaven. So I look at what I do…where I spend my time…what I feel is of value and then reflect in the eyes of God, am I on the right course?
This is exactly what Paul is telling the community at Colossae. He tells them and me to set our sight on the risen Lord. This doesn’t mean that I ignore life here on earth but that I try to see everything from Christ’s point of view. Jesus sees each person as His brother and sister. He sees that each person is born special and gifted and He loves each one and wants each to be in heaven with Him. Do I view each person I come in contact with this way? Paul continues and says that each person has good points but also vices; is my daily life consumed with the good or the vices; with love and caring or with immorality, sinful passion, greed, desiring what is evil? He tells me to put off the old and put on the new, just as I would change my clothes. It’s all about Christ: am I living as Jesus lived and spoke; do I see that each person needs to see Jesus and that means, as much as possible they have to see Jesus in me?
In the gospel Jesus is approached by a person who wants Him to be an arbiter between him and his brother. But what this man really wants is ‘more’…more of the inheritance. Actually the amount of inheritances was detailed specifically in the Law. This man wanted more and Jesus saw through this ruse and told a story about greed underlying our actions. This is not the way to live my life. It is foolish for anyone to amass goods and things but to be empty of God.
Living the Word, expresses it in this way: “Jesus’ wisdom: Be rich, in what matters to God. Colossians agrees: Think of what is above, of Christ at God’s right hand, of the glory that awaits you. Make Christ your all and God your treasure. Remember that the goal is transformation, not accumulation. So, put on that new self; put on Christ.”
This is wonderful advice and yet somehow I seem to get wrapped up in the conventions of society which tells me ‘more is better’. It convinces me that ‘I need’ this or that...that my life will be much more fulfilled and I can even spend more time with God through using these ‘conveniences’...But do I really need them? Do I need the four pair of sneakers in my closet now or the 3 pair of slippers? Do I need the 4 pair of shoes and the vast number of black trousers? When I was in Haiti, the guide said that a poor person considers themselves ‘poor’ only if they have no change of clothes. Am I hoarding?
I subscribe to a wonderful guide for the weekly scriptures, Exploring the Sunday Readings written by Alice Camille, author, religious educator and parish retreat leader. She gives great examples and asks wonderful questions…I share her insights on today’s readings: “Ecclesiastes…Every time I move, I have to rent a bigger truck. And this astonishes me, since I made my first move years ago in three suitcases. With the decades come furniture, kitchenware, linens, clothes, books and knickknacks. It makes me wince to remember that in the first there cities I left behind, I dumped the furniture at the same St. Vincent de Paul’s store I got it from. What happened that that vagabond lifestyle of easy come, easy go? Time has bequeathed me the beauty and the burden of things worth keeping. Once in a while, I also update my will. Distributing my worldly goods to relatives, even theoretically, makes me laugh: who would value any of the junk I call my treasure? In the end, a quick call to St. Vincent’s would once again solve the problem of these possessions. Ecclesiastes got it right: all things are vanity”, emptiness, and beside the point. They surround our lives but don’t contain or define them. If my life were really about accumulating all the coats in my closet, it would be the poorest kind of existence.” SHE ASKS: What role does ‘stuff’ play in your life? How much of what you have do you really need or value?”
On Colossians: “The first generations of Christians were focused on what is ‘hidden’ and above’: the part of life that isn’t earthbound and materialistic. Since embracing Christianity also meant exposing yourself to great risk in a hostile age, it made sense to value the qualities you could reasonably hold onto through death and into new life. For centuries now, however, we’ve enjoyed the reality of many Christian lands in which faith in Jesus is not only acceptable but foundational to the culture. Christians are no longer hunted and put to death in your neighborhood or mine. Most of us have settled into a comfortable life in Christendom, a land where professing faith in Jesus mostly translates into going to church. How can you and I embrace the challenge to put to death in us the worldly parts—when there’s no incentive to do so? Today we can have our cake and Christianity too. We enjoy the delightful earthly parts AND rest assured in future rewards. Early Christians could not have foreseen a time when it would be safe, and even profitable, to claim the cross.” SHE ASKS: How easy or hard is it for you to claim Christianity? What are the greatest challenges to living out your faith today?”
On Luke: “Every time I mail out the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes envelope, I remind God what a good rich person I’d make. I would take care of sick and elderly relatives. I would offer college educations to nieces and nephews. My favorite charities would get a huge bump up in donations. I would rebuild churches struck down by natural disasters. I would become the 21st century’s Saint Katharine Drexel. All I’d want for myself is a maid service to discover what’s under all the dust in my living room. God has never tested my loyalty with radical wealth. But the question arises: what do I do with the resources currently hoarded in my barn? Do I ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ with my thousands ad imagine things would be different if I had millions? Who would Katharine Drexel have become if she had not been a Philadelphia heiress but rather a homemaker or secretary? God doesn’t ask for our imaginary charity. What are we prepared to share today?” SHE ASKS: “’Decide what you can afford—and then give twice as much’ a friend once advised. Is your charitable giving well inside your comfort zone?”
Life does not consist in possessions; Jesus’ warning helps us conjecture and marvel what life is all about.
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