Homily: Twenty-fifth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Twenty-fifth Thursday of Ordinary Time (Ecclesiastes 1:2-11) “Doesn’t Matter”

There is a type of philosophy called nihilism. This means nothing matters. We can put all kinds of effort to achieve a certain goal, and we may achieve it, but it really does not matter in the big picture. All our efforts are not going to change the course of the world.

If we wanted to sum up the meaning of the Book of Ecclesiastes, we could say that this is its message. We could say that this is deflating. We could also say that this is freeing.

How is it freeing? There is something that spiritual writers call holy indifference. If we can live with holy indifference, we might be a lot more satisfied. We would not be driven by success. If we achieve great things we will keep things in perspective. We will not get to puffed up with pride.

We also will not be devastated with failure. If we fail at something we will not let that define our life. We let go of the failure and move forward.

St. Ignatius Loyola reflected the attitude of the writer of Ecclesiastes in his Principle and Foundation when he says:

“For my part I should not want health more than sickness, wealth more than poverty, fame more than disgrace, a long life more than a short one, and so with everything else. We should desire only the end for which we were created.” We are created to know, love, serve and worship God.

When we live with this attitude, we never get too high emotionally nor do we get too low. We are placid in the face of the joys and disappointments of life. We find a sense of peace and calm.

Reflection Questions:

1.    What drives me forward in life? Does my life matter?

2.   How do I feel when I fail? What makes me go on?

Dear Parishioners,

            Yesterday, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of Alleman High School. Alleman is a symbol of cooperation in the Illinois Quad Cities. Before Alleman existed, there were several Catholic high schools in our area. The pastors and people decided to pool their resources so that students could have a better educational opportunity.

            They entrusted this holy work to God. Seveny-five years ago the Catholic community had benediction at the cornerstone of Alleman and prayed for success. Yesterday, the students and faculty marched to the cornerstone and had benediction again. God has blessed Alleman over the last seventy-five years. We pray for its continued success.

            May Our Lady Seat of Wisdom pray for us,

            Fr. Mark