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Saturday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:8
Today we come to the end of our journey with Qohelet.
He speaks about youth.
He speaks about old age.
He speaks about death.
His words are honest.
And they are tender.
He tells the young:
Rejoice in your youth.
Enjoy the strength and freshness of your early years.
But do not forget where life is going.
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.
This is not a threat.
It is wisdom.
Life has seasons.
A day begins with dawn.
Then comes morning.
Then noon.
Then afternoon.
Then evening.
Human life is similar.
Childhood.
Youth.
Middle age.
Old age.
Then death.
Spring has flowers.
Summer has fullness.
Autumn has beauty.
Winter has silence.
A Chinese saying says:
Life is like spring flowers and autumn leaves.
It has flourishing.
It also has decline.
Rabindranath Tagore turned this wisdom into a prayer:
Let life be beautiful like summer flowers,
and death like autumn leaves.
Qohelet wants us to see life clearly.
When we are young, the body is full of energy.
Children run and do not seem tired.
Young athletes show the beauty of strength, speed, and discipline.
But later, we begin to notice our limits.
What we once did easily becomes harder.
The body slows down.
Health becomes fragile.
Energy becomes less.
Old age teaches us that we are not masters of life.
Then Qohelet reminds us of the words spoken to Adam:
You are dust,
and to dust you shall return.
The body returns to the earth.
But Qohelet adds:
The spirit returns to God who gave it.
This is where Christian faith brings light.
Death is real.
Death is painful.
Death separates body and soul.
But death is not the end of everything.
Qohelet says that man goes to his lasting home.
For him, that home is the realm of death.
But for us, our lasting home is with God.
Our true home is the heavenly Jerusalem.
The Gospel changes how we see death.
Christ has died.
Christ has risen.
Christ has opened the way to life.
Because of Him, our work, our love, our sacrifices, and our efforts are not wasted.
All that is good will be purified,
healed,
and transfigured in God’s Kingdom.
So today, Qohelet gives us a simple lesson:
Enjoy life,
but do not waste it.
Use your strength,
but do not forget God.
Live beautifully,
but remember your Creator.
We are dust.
But we are dust beloved by God,
called to rise,
and made for eternal life.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Content License
© 2025 Krakus.
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
(Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial).