First reading Ecclesiastes 1:2-11
Nothing is new and all is vanity
Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity! For all his toil, his toil under the sun, what does man gain by it?
A generation goes, a generation comes, yet the earth stands firm for ever. The sun rises, the sun sets; then to its place it speeds and there it rises. Southward goes the wind, then turns to the north; it turns and turns again; back then to its circling goes the wind. Into the sea all the rivers go, and yet the sea is never filled, and still to their goal the rivers go. All things are wearisome. No man can say that eyes have not had enough of seeing, ears their fill of hearing. What was will be again; what has been done will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Take anything of which it may be said, ‘Look now, this is new.’ Already, long before our time, it existed. Only no memory remains of earlier times, just as in times to come next year itself will not be remembered.
Responsorial 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.
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.
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.
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.
Gospel Luke 9:7-9
‘John? I beheaded him; so who is this?’
Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus.
Into A Deeper Meaning And Freedom
In the first reading, the writer of Ecclesiastes cried out, “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity!” He looked at the cycles of life: generations that came and went, the sun that rose and set, and the rivers flowing into the sea, which was never full. People kept looking for something new to satisfy them, yet their hearts remained restless. The message for us today is to reflect on the emptiness of building our lives on things that cannot last. Success, material things, comfort and praise cannot give us the ultimate meaning and joy that our hearts truly seek.
The Gospel reveals that Jesus is the only one who can fulfil the longings of our hearts. Herod heard reports about Jesus and wanted to see Him. However, Herod’s interest came from curiosity and confusion rather than a desire to know Jesus more and seek conversion. Today, Jesus wants us to know that He is here with us and continues to speak to our hearts through His Word, prayer, the people around us, and the events of our daily lives. He does not come merely to satisfy our curiosity or offer quick solutions to every problem. He comes to reveal the Father’s love and to invite us into a deeper relationship with God.
Reflective question:
What message is God asking me to receive and live today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
