SATURDAY, TWENTY FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Eccl 11:9–12:8 Ps 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17 Lk 9: 43-45
THE VANITY OF YOUTH
The years of one’s youth are so rich in promise and yet so delicate. The person is just beginning to find oneself while bidding farewell to their adolescence. New opportunities open and the possibilities seem endless. At this juncture when one is in the prime of life, when sickness, fear, old age and death seem like illusions, it is easy to get carried away in the sway of one’s own strength and ability. This newly discovered self-sufficiency makes one abhor any form of dependence. To the youth groping about in this labyrinth the wise Qoheleth cries out, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”. He admonishes them to remember their creator while they are still young for the invincible days won’t last forever. Youthfulness is fleeting and the days will come when living itself will become burdensome. The years will pass swiftly but not without taking their toll on one’s physical, emotional and mental health. Independence will give way to dependence, laughter to tears and arrogance to wisdom.
If one is rooted in the creator when still young, one will always remain grounded. They won’t be deluded by success nor dejected by failure. They will realise that ultimately there is ‘someone’ in control and that ‘someone’ loves them unconditionally. When one makes God as their companion along life’s journey, the transition through various stages of life becomes easier. Without this anchor, a person will fly high but the higher they ascend the more terrible will be their crash landing, for what goes up, must come down. ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,’ if only the youth today would realise this, we would have less cases of substance abuse, road rage, suicide and broken relationships. Shout out loud therefore whoever you are that through the din of social media, peer pressure and distorted values, that they may hear you calling them to be attentive to the gentle whisper of the creator speaking to them.
Response: O Lord you have been our refuge, from generation to generation.
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