September 24, 2022 – Saturday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092422.cfm)

We seek and enjoy what is fun and entertaining. We take delight and feel happy when the moment brings excitement and pleasure to our senses. This is how the market also captures what we are looking and seeking for. From music, to movies, short funny videos, mobile games and the different social media and entertainment apps and websites, they provide and give entertainment to us though temporary. This is also how we see the surge of social media influencers who bring funny, captivating, intriguing and exciting videos to us.

And more than these, there are also those who seek self-satisfaction at the expense of others by abusing, maltreating and depriving the weak. Women, men and even children have become a commodity to sex and human traffickers. Others continue to crave with addictive substances and behaviors in order to fill the deep emptiness in their life though these only led many to oblivion and losing oneself in the process.

These are the realities of life. Yet, more than these we are called to embrace life in its fullness together with its pains and joys, shadows and lights. This is the very reason why the words in the Book of Ecclesiastes in today’s reading make more sense.

The author of the book tells us, rejoice while you are young and let your hearts be glad in the days of your youth. Indeed, there is so much to enjoy and be thankful for in life especially in our youth though this is transitory. However, it is in our youth that we discover more and understand better ourselves and the world around us. It is in our youth that the Lord allows us to have more failures and disappointments so that we may learn, grow and gain wisdom.

Although the Book of Ecclesiastes may sound pessimistic in life for everything, as he said, vanishes like a vapor, for all things are vanity. However, he also acknowledged how the Lord unfolds His Divine Presence and blessings for us in the many events and moments of our life. The Lord will judge us then, based on our capacity in fully embracing life and rejoicing our youth in its fullness.

Therefore, rejoicing one’s youth and letting our hearts be glad in the days of our youth calls us to be more attuned to God’s way of life. Let us remember, God is life-creating, life-redeeming and life-sanctifying. Thus, anything that destroys life, abuses life and suppresses the fullness of life, may it be in our life or the life of others, is contrary to God’s way of life. This is the author wants us to ward off and put away from our presence.

In the same way, Jesus tells us today in Luke’s Gospel, “pay attention to what I am saying.” The disciples did not pay attention to him when Jesus told them of suffering and death he will undergo. It was either the disciples cannot understand or refused to understand the life of Jesus and his mission. All they wanted was to be just amazed and be entertained by the miracles that Jesus has been doing. However, Jesus is life-redeeming and this is not found in mere amazement and entertainment but in giving oneself for the many.

So, let us all rejoice while we are young and let our hearts be glad as we make our life attuned in God’s way of life. Kabay pa.