Message from Father Jonathan-July 31st 2022

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” we hear from the book of Ecclesiastes this weekend. But what does this mean? Vanities of vanities… all things are vanity, simply means that all things of this world are passing. It is not our material possessions that give us meaning, because they are in our lives for just a moment. Rather it is our dignity as children of God that gives us meaning, and that is exactly what we should focus on in our everyday life. Yes, material possessions are good, if they lead us closer to God and our brothers and sisters, but they can not be our only focus in life. Society is constantly telling us to focus on money, power, and possessions; but we know there is great emptiness in money, power, and possessions. This is the warning Jesus gives us in the Gospel today, “take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” When we come to Mass, we are challenged to put aside the preoccupations of our daily lives. We turn off our cell phones and actively listen to the prayers and readings of the Mass. We know that time ceases to exist while we participate in the heavenly banquet of the Eucharist. Finally, we know that Christ fulfills every one of our needs because he is eternal, and not in our lives for just a moment. As Catholics we do not put our trust in material possessions, but we put our trust in our Triune God because we were created for God and not for the world. Fr. Jonathan