Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
Sounds like poor Qoheleth is having a bad day. He’s tired, he’s bored, and he feels like he has seen it all again and again. ‘What’s the point,’ he wonders. Boredom was described by one minister as ‘the self, stuffed with the self.’ How often prosperous people feel this way! We consider what we’re going to do, what we have done, what we could have done. Whether your disposition is to think of the great things you’ve accomplished, or how little you have done well, the outcome is the same; excessive self-focus. We grow tired, thinking of ourselves.
The antidote is to think of others, especially God. Consider our fate: we are passing away in this world, but our life with Jesus is everlasting. Thinking of our impending demise is generally depressing; thinking of our ever-lasting destiny is quite the opposite. In the same way; when we mull over the way the world seems to be wearing out and going down-hill, it brings our spirit down as well. But when we consider God’s re-creation of the world at the second coming, and the on-going resurrection that we celebrate as Christians, our spirit is lightened.
Are you tired of the ‘daily grind?’ Is it all a big repeat? May I suggest that redirecting your attention to God’s work in the world, and in your living experience, will relieve this feeling and re-shape your direction in life. Even when our daily labor is good and holy (raising a family, serving others, etc.) we can easily get lost in the tasks, and forget that we are living God’s mission. God alone is responsible for that mission. Since God has not replaced you, it means you are still being charged and trusted with your holy vocation. May we trust in God’s mission more than our own ability to carry it out. Amen.
- Chris Nieport