circus

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11; Psalm 90 In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge; Luke 9:7-9


Today we enter into the autumnal equinox, in which the sun is directly above the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal.

But this should be no surprise, for it happens evey year about this time.

In the words of the first reading:

"What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun."

Initially the first reading comes across as a downer. It is a gut check for all of us "the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor is the ear satisifed with hearing."

Where is meaning to be found? This is the question posed before us as we peer into the vastness of the world and recognize the patterns of time and space that keep returning over and over again.

In light of the first reading and its gloomy sentiments about the world and time and space, I have another persepcive to ponder.

"Two men looked out beyond their prison bars, one saw mud and the other stars."

Perhaps Quoleth, the preacher, is inviting us to take another look, to see the world anew, not from the perspective of seasons, and weather. Yes, things do repeat and indeed we are thankful. For it is the repetition of nature that makes life possible.

We should be glad that the sun rises and the sun goes down. We should jumb for joy that the wind turns again again resuming its rounds. We should be estatic that the sea never becomes full and the rivers keep going. We should be tickled that our eyes are never satisifed and our hearing never satiated.

All of this, this constant and ever present ebb and flow is what makes our world so grand. Quoleth is not a pessimistic person, rather he is a realist, a realsit who recognizes in the end that all of this though seemingly meaningless is indeed what enables us to find meaning, to move beyond, to go deeper and to truly enjoy the gift.

And perhaps this is it, to recognize all this repetitionist natural behavior of the world as a "gift".

To see it as a gift, a product of another is where we begin to truly see the stars and even the mud as beauty for the soul and fuel to love.

The spiritual life in a nutshell is to be surprised by that which does not surprise.
************************
Now we turn to HErod the Tetrarch. In the gospel he is greatly perplexed about this JEsus he keeps hearing about. He is curious and afraid at the same time. The gospel ends with this phrase, "And he kept trying to see him."

And you know, his wish came true. Herod finally had his moment with Jesus, Luke 23:8-12.

And what does Herod do with this momentous oocassion. He makes light of it. He treats Jesus like a circus clown, and wants him to perform a miracle, to do some tricks and appease his curiosity. He wants JEsus to entertain him. He winds up mocking JEsus and sending him on his way to the cross.

How often are we like Herod? How often do we simply what Jesus to do some tricks and appease our curiosity? How often have we gotten on our knees begging God to entertain us, our whims and our fancies?

How often do we treat religion and faith and church as entertainment rather than true spiritual awkening, true spiritual worship?

Like Herod, we keep trying to see JEsus and yet when we get the opporunity we never stop long enough to look, to gaze, to allow him to penetrate our thoughts, hearts, minds.

Herod was seeking JEsus for his own sake. We must seek Jesus for His sake. Life is all about where you fix your gaze: on ourselves or on Him.