Luke 9:43b-45

Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8

Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17

Luke 9:43b-45

While they were all amazed at his every deed,

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Pay attention to what I am telling you.

The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” 

But they did not understand this saying;

its meaning was hidden from them

so that they should not understand it,

and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the Lord of life and guide all things to their fulfillment. By sending your Son, you have overcome the sting of death and offer eternal life to your children. Teach me to die to myself so that I may live. 

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Vanity of Life and the Certainty of Death: The First Reading, from Ecclesiastes, is a meditation on the vanity of life and the certainty of death. The outlook of Quoheleth, the Preacher, is very grim and dark. Earlier he wrote: “For if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity” (11:8). The Preacher doesn’t try to look beyond the grave. He encourages young people to enjoy the days of their youth but to know also that God will judge them for their actions. “Because God is also Judge and will hold man accountable for his actions (3:17; 11:9; 12:14), Qoheleth urges readers to fear [God] (5:7; 12:13), to keep his commandments (12:13), and to avoid thoughtless expressions of prayer and worship (5:2-3). He is convinced that ‘it will be well with those who fear God’ (8:12)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, 66). Qoheleth also uses several images to talk about old age and the end of life. He thinks of the grave as man’s eternal home. Man’s body is dust and the dust returns to the earth. Yet in all this, there is a glimmer of hope, for man’s spirit, breathed into man and given by God, returns not to the earth but to God. This is only a glimmer, since Qoheleth has no vision of ongoing life or happiness after death (9:5, 10) (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, 66).

2. Jesus’ Redemptive Death: When Qoheleth calls all things vanity, he means that they are fleeting and that they quickly pass away. Vain are worldly pleasures, wealth, worldly wisdom, and the vigor of youth. They all pass away and death is inevitable. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus also speaks about death. This is the second time he foretells his death. The first time was after Peter’s confession of faith; this second time took place after the Transfiguration. This is how Jesus introduces his disciples into the mystery of redemption. This mystery of redemption and Jesus’ passion were foreshadowed in part by the ceremonial sacrifice of one goat and the sending-away of another goat. We deserved death due to our sin. But Jesus transferred to himself what was our due and laid down his life on the Cross so that we might be sent away from death and destruction (see Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Homily 53).

3. Jesus’ Response to Qoheleth: Jesus tasted death for every man (Hebrews 2:9). He does this so that human beings can be transformed. Since this transformation had to be carried out through suffering, sinful humankind was always rebelling against it. So, Jesus, the pioneer of our salvation, had to submit himself to this suffering, although personally he had no need to do so. Jesus took on a human nature and in the flesh accepted the painful transforming action of God so as to be able to communicate it to us, his brothers and sisters (see Vanhoye, A Different Priest, 111). Through his death, Jesus destroyed death. After Jesus’ resurrection, we can respond to Qoheleth that not everything ends with the grave – that with Christ, there are things that are not vanity. Yes, human beings still die. But this is not the end, since death is only a passage from this life to the next. Yes, human beings will be judged. However, our Judge is not only just, but is also merciful. Yes, worldly treasure is fleeting. But there is heavenly treasure that lasts. Yes, the joys of youth pass away. But there is a heavenly joy that will not pass away. Yes, our bodies return to the earth. But on the last day, they will gloriously be raised with Jesus.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you died on the Cross for me, broke the ancient curse, and established the New Covenant. As you died, you begged the Father to forgive me and gave your mother to care for me. Help me to imitate your loving and obedient sacrifice.

Living the Word of God: Do I contemplate the mysteries of life and death in my daily prayer? Am I prepared to meet the Lord and review how I have lived? What can I do to prepare for a holy death?