AUGUST 3-4, 2019
5:00 PM (SAT), 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM (SUN) ORDINARY FORM MASSES
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, more commonly known by the pen name Mark Twain, was a writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He has been called “the father of American literature” and praised as the "greatest humorist this country has produced.”
Clemens began his career writing light, humorous verse, and later became a chronicler of the vanities, hypocrisies, and cruel acts of mankind. He combined rich humor, sturdy narrative, and social criticism in his books; and was a master of transcribing colloquial speech into print creating a uniquely American literature emphasizing American themes and language.
He was in great demand as a speaker, performing solo humorous talks similar to modern stand-up comedy. In this, he travelled throughout the United States and Canada, Great Britain, Europe, and even Australia.
Some of his one-liners include:
Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessaries.We ought never to do wrong when people are looking.What, then is the true Gospel of consistency? Change.
He was born shortly after the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and predicted that he would "go out with it" as well; dying the day after the comet returned in 1910.
For the record, Halley’s Comet has an orbital period of 75 years, 3 months, 26 days, 19 hours, and 12 minutes.
Today is the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Our first reading comes from the Book of Ecclesiastes – one of the 24 books of the Hebrew Tanakh, which dates from about the 5th century before the time of Christ. The word “vanity” is used 38 times in it’s 12 chapters.
Ecclesiastes has been quoted by politicians (Abraham Lincoln), writers (William Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy, Ernest Hemingway, Ray Bradbury), and musicians (Pete Seeger).
The section we heard read today at Mass is actually short snippets from the beginning and the end of the first segment of the book which seems to pose the question:
Is life really worth living?St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, admonishes us to put aside those things that separate us from God – that is, the many sins he enumerates; as well as what might separate us from one another – such as social or national distinctions … and to allow Christ to become our “all in all” … to be “renewed” in “the new self” … since, having died with Christ – in Baptism – we are now raised with Him, and must “seek what is above”.
In the continuation of chapter 12 of St. Luke’s Gospel, Jesus admonishes us “to guard against all greed, for … life does not consist of possessions.” Calling us to be “rich in what matters to God.”
Which begs an additional question:
What matters to God?An answer can be found at the end of Ecclesiastes, in the twelfth chapter, the last line (vv. 13-14) of that final chapter reads:
The last word, when all is heard: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this concerns all humankind; because God will bring to judgment every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad.Despite the cries of “vanity” and the admonitions to “fear God” and the calls for “judgment,” five times throughout those twelve chapters, like exclamation points scattered through the entire book are also admonitions to enjoy life – not mindlessly for its own sake – but rather by praising God for the the things He has given us, and receiving them with joy – recognizing that while all things are passing, God Himself alone is eternal.
For we are called – ultimately – to eternal life with God. And the joys of this passing world, are but shadows and reflections of the joys to come.
As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ; let us aspire – in our daily life, to always give thanks to God for everything. In the midst of the many good and bad things that make up any given moment of any given life – let us continue to praise Him, thank Him, and love Him … knowing that we are called to live our lives – not here, but in Eternity – as God’s beloved children; through, with, and in Christ Jesus; and renewed in the power of the Holy Spirit.
