20260926 SHORTNESS OF OUR LIFE
26 September 2026, Saturday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8 |
Remember your creator in the days of your youth
Rejoice in your youth, you who are young;
let your heart give you joy in your young days.
Follow the promptings of your heart
and the desires of your eyes.
But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement.
Cast worry from your heart,
shield your flesh from pain.
Yet youth, the age of dark hair, is vanity. And remember your creator in the days of your youth, before evil days come and the years approach when you say, ‘These give me no pleasure’, before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;
the day when those who keep the house tremble
and strong men are bowed;
when the women grind no longer at the mill,
because day is darkening at the windows
and the street doors are shut;
when the sound of the mill is faint,
when the voice of the bird is silenced,
and song notes are stilled,
when to go uphill is an ordeal
and a walk is something to dread.
Yet the almond tree is in flower,
the grasshopper is heavy with food
and the caper bush bears its fruit,
while man goes to his everlasting home. And the mourners are already walking to and fro in the street
before the silver cord has snapped,
or the golden lamp been broken,
or the pitcher shattered at the spring,
or the pulley cracked at the well,
or before the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the breath to God who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. All is vanity.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 89(90):3-6,12-14,17 |
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You turn men back to dust
and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You sweep men away like a dream,
like the grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
by evening it withers and fades.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:43-45 |
They were afraid to ask him what he meant
At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.
SHORTNESS OF OUR LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ECCLESIASTES 11:9-12:8; LUKE 9:43-45]
In the responsorial psalm, the psalmist prayed, “Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Indeed, we often fail to bear in mind this reality of life. We think that we have a long life ahead of us and all the time we need to do what we must. That is why we tend to waste our time and squander our opportunities. We fail to grasp how short our life is, especially while living in this modern age. When we measure our days in years, the end might seem far away; but in truth, when we look back, time passes so quickly. Before we know it, we have aged.
Indeed, the psalmist reminds us, “You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night. You sweep men away like a dream, like the grass which springs up in the morning. In the morning it springs up and flowers: by evening it withers and fades.” Life is indeed short, even though our average lifespan has now extended to 85 years–and shorter still when compared to eternity. For this reason, we must make good use of our time on earth to live a meaningful and happy life.
We must treasure our youth. This is what the author of Ecclesiastes reminds us: “Rejoice in your youth, you who are young; let your heart give you joy in your young days. Follow the promptings of your heart and the desires of your eyes. But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement. Cast worry from your heart, shield your flesh from pain.” Those of us who are young must not be in a hurry to grow up. They should use their youth to learn, grow, and discover more about themselves, life, the world, God, and especially how to mature in relationships. Youth is a period of life when young people have abundant energy, but it is often directed toward harmful activities, destructive pleasures, and unhealthy relationships. Young people should channel their energy rightly; otherwise, they risk destroying their bright future and living a life of regret while their peers move forward. At the same time, they must discern the promptings of their heart, their passion, and their vocation in life, where they can give themselves wholeheartedly to the task before them. Indeed, “Youth and the dawn of life are vanity.”
Those who are older must also treasure their old age. Before we know it, we are getting older and older. But when we are old, we should not be afraid. Life, as the Preacher says, is a process that unfolds according to its appropriate time; so we should simply dance to the tune. Old age has advantages that the young do not possess. We might not be as energetic, but we have become wiser, emotionally more stable, more grounded, and hopefully more mature through life’s challenges. We are able to see situations from a wider perspective and are less reactive than the young, who lack the hindsight of life experience.
In fact, if older people are less imposing with their views and perspectives, offering them instead as gifts, they will be even more appreciated. The young would be happy to listen to the wisdom of the old, weighing the insights gained from the past alongside the present to arrive at fresh solutions for the new challenges facing society today. The older generation must never forget that things have changed, and our solutions of yesterday cannot be applied without adjustments to today’s new challenges, situations, and mindsets. This is why the old must learn to let go and not impose their values, rules, and customs on the young. By all means, we need to share our thoughts, assessments, and considerations with them; but if we want the young to value us, we must respect their choices, decisions, and preferences. This does not mean they are always right in their choices.
It is not easy, especially when their values conflict with the time-honoured values we held strongly in our day. But ultimately, they have to answer for themselves and for their children’s future. We have done our part, and we should allow them to learn from their own experiences just as we did. The old must not feel that they remain responsible for them, especially when dealing with young adults. They have their own lives to live. Whether a path is the best way or the best decision, time will tell. We can only offer them the same advice the author of Ecclesiastes gave: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of every person. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Eccl 12:13-14)
Most importantly, we must all be ready to go when death arrives: “And the mourners are already walking to and fro in the street before the silver cord is snapped… or before the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the breath to God who gave it.” Death is inevitable. We must be ready to welcome death, for this is the pathway to the fullness of life. If we have lived a meaningful life, giving ourselves to humanity and to God, welcoming death is like welcoming God and the paradise that awaits us. There is far less pain in departing from this world when we have exhausted whatever resources the Lord has given us, returning freely to Him and to society what we first received from Him. There will be no regrets whatsoever–only gratitude for a life well lived. At death, the undertakers who carry our coffin will cry with joy for us as we enter into paradise.
This was the way Jesus lived His life. Today’s Gospel shows us how Jesus lived in a manner that brought astonishment to those around Him. When Jesus came down from Mount Tabor after the Transfiguration and delivered a boy from a demon, “Everyone was awestruck by the greatness of God.” Indeed, in everything Jesus did, He continually amazed His disciples and the crowds. Whether it was the feeding of the five thousand (Lk 9:10-17), the calming of the storm (Lk 8:22-25), or the raising of the widow’s son at Nain (Lk 7:11-17), the people were in awe. That was how Jesus lived His life–in complete fidelity to the Father’s will.
Yet He was also deeply aware that, even in the process of revealing His identity, His glory would not come until He had endured His passion. Jesus said to His disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.” This was the second passion prediction Jesus delivered to His disciples. He felt the necessity to prepare them for the ordeal lying directly ahead. He did not leave things to chance, wanting instead to prepare the disciples for His passion and death so that they would not be overly shocked and scandalised when it occurred. He wanted them to understand the wisdom and plan of God. It was essential for Jesus to respond to His Father’s plan at every single stage of His life.
We have much to learn from the Lord. He died at the youthful age of 33. For most of us, we would say His life was incomplete. Indeed, today when a young person dies before reaching the age of 50, we say their life was incomplete and what a pity it is that they barely lived. But not so for our Lord. He lived a short life of thirty-three years, spending only three years in public ministry, yet He lived it to the fullest in accordance with His Father’s plan. He accomplished His mission and finished the work His Father gave Him to do. There was no reason for Him to remain any longer. As He said to the Father: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him… I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:1, 26) Truly, Jesus lived His life to the fullest. At the end of the day, it is not how long we live, but how well we live that matters. A short life lived intensely for God is a blessed life; a long life lived in suffering–or worse, in meaninglessness–would be a martyrdom.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment