Gospel & Reflection for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Reflection
Friends, it was on a Sunday morning in April of 1888, that a man, as was his weekly custom, sat down for his breakfast and read the French newspaper ‘Le Figaro’. For some reason, his attention was drawn to the bottom right-hand column of the front page, where a tiny, four-line article had been written; an editorial so small, that it could easily have been overlooked. The article read: ‘A man, who one could hardly call a benefactor of humanity, died yesterday in Cannes.’ The brief article continued over the page and there it gave the identity of the recently deceased, and it greatly surprised the reader. The name was revealed as: ‘Monsieur Noble – the inventor of dynamite.’
Well, the gentleman reading the newspaper on that April morn was Monsieur Noble –Alfred Noble, the inventor of dynamite. The paper had made an error. The person who had died, was not Alfred but his brother Ludwig. However, shocked to be described as ‘one who could hardly be called a benefactor of humanity’ was a wake-up call for Alfred Noble. Most of us associate him now with the Noble prize, offered in the areas of science, literature, and peace, much more than him as the inventor of dynamite. But such was the wake-up call he got that day. Rather than being called a ‘merchant of death’, as another newspaper called him, he decided that he wanted to leave a better legacy of himself. He achieved that aim.
In all our readings today, we encounter some interesting characters. The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes is a cranky preacher who offers reflections on life. He is often referred to as a ‘grumpy old man’! He is sceptical about life and weary of the world. His most famous saying we have in our First Reading: ‘Vanity of vanities. All is vanity.’ But this translation is one of the direst in all of scripture! We associate vanity with looks and appearance, however, originally written, the actual translation is ‘The merest breath. All is like a breath.’ The writer believes that life is like an exhale of breath, gone and forgotten in a moment, along with our efforts and work.
St. Paul, in our Second Reading, is not as negative. Going from being consumed with hatred and self-righteousness, to living and leaving a rich legacy of faith, love, commitment, and oneness with God, he sees a greater purpose in life and the beauty of living. As he came to know and wrote, in the end ‘There is only Christ: He is everything and He is in everything.’
The rich man of the Gospel parable had a bumper crop; his life has been blessed by God. But his reaction to this blessing was to take it all for granted and to think of himself. ‘My soul, take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.’ His fun time does not last long though. “This very night the demand will be made for your soul.’
Our readings offer us all a wakeup call. In our lives, what is truly important to us? What do we worship more than anything else? What are our priorities? Where do we invest our time, money, talents, energy, and enthusiasm? The answer to those questions, tells us exactly what our priorities are. Often, we might say that a person or persons are important; a pressing and relevant social issue is central; maybe our community or society is key. But does the investment of ourselves and our time point to those things or do they point to something else entirely?
Friends, we are being asked to consider our own life and its legacy. There can be an awful lot of time spent on nonsense, as the grumpy preacher of Ecclesiastes reminds us – fights, wars, misunderstandings, wanting our own way, having, possessing, needing, spending, getting. In the end, much of it is useless, and will not be remembered, like an exhaled breath.
However, some things make a huge difference and are remembered. Love, kindness, support. Our lending hand, our compassion, our listening. Our gentleness, our presence; our faith and beliefs. These are some of the things that are a real treasure, and it is these things that Jesus asks us to witness to, just as He did, and which the likes of St. Paul also did. It is these that make us rich in the sight of God and through them we reveal Christ in ourselves.
Friends, may we always be awake to leaving a life-giving legacy of faith, hope, and love for others to remember and follow.
Fr. Richard
