Homily: Thursday - 25th Week of OT 2016 - Vanity of Vanities

Early in Luke’s Gospel we hear how the Tetrarch Herod had John the Baptist executed. John had spoken the Word of God clearly: Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law was illicit. John called Herod, as he had to so many, to repentance. But, instead of turning away from his sin, Herod killed John, hoping that the message would be buried with the messenger.

To Herod’s consternation, however, the message lived on—even more powerfully—in Jesus and his disciples. St. Luke tells us, “Herod was deeply perplexed” when he heard about Jesus preaching the same word as had John. Perhaps Herod did not understand how or why someone else would take up John’s mantle, so to speak, in proclaiming the call to repentance.

Jesus, we know appeared before Herod, after he is arrested. But, instead of learning from his experience, that God desires his conversion, Herod chose to be part of Jesus’ crucifixion. Imagine what Herod thought when news of Jesus’ resurrection reached him!

Sometimes, we, like Herod, don’t want to hear the Word of God. The world certainly does not want to hear the Word of God. God’s word challenges us, it calls out our illicit behaviors, it calls us to repentance, and sometimes we don’t want to give up our sins. So we run away from the Gospel. The world seeks to have the Gospel silenced. 

Christianity is labeled as bigoted, intolerant of certain lifestyles. Think of the great hostility the Church faces in calling for the protection of the unborn and end to abortion! Abortion and contraception enable illicit sex on demand. And so the Church is hated because she teaches the Gospel of Life, even though the Gospel is the only road to heaven.

She is hated because, like Qoheleth in the reading from Ecclesiastes, she reminds us that all of our foolish, selfish, sinful pursuits, are “vanity of vanities”. Qoheleth, in his wisdom, looks back on all of his vain, earthly pursuits, and recognizes that they did not profit his soul.

St. Paul tells us, “put to death, the parts of you that are earthly”… put to death: “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.” Why? Because these things, instead of giving us life, take it from us, instead of leading us to God, lead us away from Him.

God desires that we come to share in his very life. He want to make us like himself, full of generous self-giving and limitless charity, to glorify him in seeking and living out His will.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, may we continue to seek to put to death all of our vain pursuits, engage in only those endeavors which profit our souls, seeking the spiritual life God wants for each one of us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.