Introduction to Ecclesiastes[1]
The Book of Ecclesiastes is a weird fit. If the books of
the Bible were puzzle pieces, you would have a hard time figuring out where to
put Ecclesiastes—it's the kind of piece that needs to be jammed into place, or
one that you might be tempted to adjust with a pair of scissors. So
Ecclesiastes is definitely odd—Plenty of scholars and theologians agree that
Ecclesiastes just feels like it's coming from another planet, one
different from almost all the other books of the Bible (except maybe for Job). In fact,
many of the rabbis who were putting the Hebrew Bible together didn't want to put
Ecclesiastes in—but they were out-voted. Ecclesiastes was a definite original.
Some people suggest that Ecclesiastes is so different from everybody else
because he was influenced by Greek philosophers—like Epicurus, who was also
into talking about heavy subjects like death in a big way. But there isn't any
Greek influence on Ecclesiastes's language, which remains Hebrew, so this all
seems sort of unlikely. Ecclesiastes is just the Greek version of Koheleth,
which means "Gatherer" or "Assembler"—either because he
gathered all the sayings and observations that make up this book, or he used to
gather together people and teach them these sayings and observations, which led
to his English nickname of "Teacher" or "Preacher. For a long
time, Ecclesiastes was said to be the same as King Solomon, the wisest of
Israel's kings. But in reality, he lived about half-a-millennium after Solomon.
And speaking of wisdom, Koheleth challenges some of the basic points and
assumptions made by nearly all the other books in the Bible. Those other books
don't ever question the idea that life has a purpose, and that God is guiding
that purpose towards something that's ultimately good (again, with the possible
exception of Job). Yeah, human beings keep messing up, provoking God's wrath
and giving him the occasional panic attack—but the long arc of the Bible seems
to bend towards a final time of peace, when the Israelites and the rest of
humanity will be living righteously and without endless war. Not so for
Koheleth. Yet, despite how radically different the Book of Ecclesiastes is,
it's had a huge impact on world literature. The American writer Thomas
Wolfe said that it was "the greatest single piece of writing I have
ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most lasting and profound."
And the rock band The Byrds used an entire passage from Ecclesiastes as the
lyrics to their hippie-anthem, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" But to understand
the hype, you really need to dig into this often-disturbing masterpiece.
Why Should I Care?
The word "wise"
is often thrown around like so many foam peanuts. For instance, "wise
guy" isn't usually a term for someone who's wise, at all—we apply it to a
cocky kid or a Goodfellas-style mobster much more regularly. People
even say "wise man" more sarcastically than seriously. But wisdom
literature was a popular style of writing in the ancient Middle East. You
needed wisdom because life was hard. Assyria could invade you. Babylon could
invade you. They could murder you, murder your family, pillage, and plunder. But
even now, in the present day, when you're a lot less likely to get stampeded to
death by a horde of Babylonian charioteers, you still stand the risk of dying
at some point. In fact, recent studies show that 100% of all human beings will,
eventually… die. It's science.
So, death is
inevitable—sorry. So, we're all going to die. (Prepare your frown-face
emoticons.) But this is also why Ecclesiastes still has a lot to say. The
author has done some hard livin'—he implies he's been through it all. And after
these experiences—from living an intense life—Ecclesiastes has something to
say. He has wisdom to impart; he wants to give you the news. But is it good
news? A fair amount of Ecclesiastes focuses on death and the meaninglessness of
life. It begins with the famous refrain, "Vanity of vanities! All is
vanity!" and repeats it throughout the book. Now, "vanity" here
doesn't mean staring at your reflection and hoping everyone thinks you're
winsome and attractive. He's not saying the whole world is just one giant Barbie
Vanity Dream Playset by Mattel. Here, the word translated as "vanity"
is closely related to the Hebrew word for "fog" or
"mist"—the great Hebrew Bible scholar, Robert Alter, translates it as
"mere breath." It means the world is a place where everything is
always disappearing, dissolving, changing from one day to the next. Things
vanish just like the cold breath you breathe out on a winter day. There's a
sense of futility, absurdity, confusion, and meaninglessness all mixed up in it
too. Basically, he's saying that life is pretty insubstantial. So is
Ecclesiastes just a Debbie Downer? Is that all he has to say? Thankfully, the
answer is "Not really." Some people think Ecclesiastes is totally
pessimistic, but a good number also think he's got a lot more going on. He's
not just looking at life and saying, "This is total lame-sauce." He's
admitting that life seems meaningless—or, at least, that the plot of life isn't
immediately clear. Books like the Bible or the Teachings of the Buddha
or Plato's Dialogues try to show people what the plot is or might
be—and if you're looking at life without a guidebook, it might easily seem like
"vanity." Ecclesiastes is trying to give you the antidote to all this
vanity.
Loretto (Mary’s House) human rights day
Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5, Verse 6
Despite many dreams, futilities, and a multitude of words, FEAR God!
Remember fear of God means reverence and love. Our dreams if not connected to our Godly purpose are unrewarding. Our vainness is a result of excluding God from our plans; and many words do not make a song of praise. It is not the multitude of words but one’s sincerity that counts in the acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty, especially through obedience and reverence. God does not fear to make men great; but for those who are made great they must be responsible, humble and fair for those in command are thoroughly judged by God. We must be of the mindset as spoken by Charles Mayes: “Make sure the thing your living for is worth dying for.” And as leaders we must make sure that when we send others into harm’s way that it would be only if we ourselves would be willing to die to get it done. As confirmed members of the body of Christ it is our duty; no, our sacred honor to give meaning to the words of the psalmist:
“Defend the lowly and fatherless, render justice to the afflicted and needy. Rescue the lowly and poor; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Ps. 82:3-4)
Our
Lady of Loretto[2]
The shrine of Our Lady of Loreto is located on the Adriatic coast of Italy, three hours from Rome. It is the third-largest shrine to Mary in Europe, next to Lourdes and Fatima. The ministry of the shrine is the hospitality shown to pilgrims especially through the sacrament of penance.
·
The
title "Our Lady of Loreto" is associated with the Holy House of
Loreto in Italy, the house of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
miraculously transported by the angels from Palestine to Europe.
·
The
house of the Holy Family in Nazareth has always been the object of Christian
veneration. Shortly after 313, St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, built
a basilica over this holy abode. The Saracens invaded the Holy Land in 1090,
plundering and destroying Christian shrines, including Constantine’s basilica.
Under the ruble, the Holy House was found intact.
·
During
the twelfth century, another basilica was built to protect the holy dwelling.
In 1219 or 1220 St. Francis of Assisi visited the Holy House in Nazareth. So
did King St. Louis IX of France, when he was leading a crusade to liberate the
Holy Land.
·
In
1263, when the Muslims overpowered the crusaders, the basilica was again
destroyed but, once more, the Holy House was found intact.
·
When
the crusaders were completely driven out of the Holy Land in 1291, the Holy
House disappeared.
·
On
May 10, 1291, a parish priest, Fr. Alexander Georgevich in the town of
Tersatto, Dalmatia, (present-day Croatia) noticed the sudden appearance of a
small building resting on a plot of land. Puzzled, he prayed about it, and in a
dream saw the Blessed Virgin Mary, who explained that the structure was the house
of the Holy Family, brought there by the power of God.
·
In
1294, with the Moslem invasion of Albania, the house disappeared again.
According to the testimony of shepherds, it was seen on December 10 of that
year born aloft by angels over the Adriatic Sea. This time the Holy House came
to rest in a wooded area four miles from Recanati, Italy. As the news spread
fast, thousands flocked there, and many miracles took place at the site.
·
Due
to contrary circumstances, twice again the house was moved, finally coming to
rest in the town of Loreto, Italy, its present location.
·
As
miracles continued to occur in connection with pilgrimages to the house,
deputations were sent to Nazareth to determine its origins in 1292, in 1296,
and in 1524. All three declared that the measurements of the house corresponded
to the visible foundations of the house of Nazareth.
·
In
1871 at the suggestion of Cardinal Bartolini, Professor Ratti of the University
of Rome was given mortar and stones from the house at Loreto, and similar materials
from houses in Nazareth. Ignorant of which was which, Prof. Ratti ascertained
that the composition of the material from the house of Loreto while not
original to Italy was identical to that of the material from Nazareth.
·
Other
striking facts about the house in Loreto are that it has no foundations. The
walls rest on a plot that was part field and part road, a sure indication that
it was not built there but placed there. The style of the house of Loreto is
not Italian but Eastern. And the original door was on the long side of the
house, indicating that it was a dwelling and not a church.
·
Today
a great basilica houses the dwelling of the holiest of families. From 1330,
practically all the Popes have considered Loreto the greatest shrine of
Christendom. Bulls in favor of the shrine were issued by Pope Sixtus IV in 1491
and by Julius II in 1507. While the miracle of the translation of the house is
not a matter of faith, Innocent XII, in the seventeenth century, appointed a
special Mass for the Feast of the Translation of the Holy House. Numerous
saints have visited the house-relic.
·
As
pilgrims enter the small precinct, they read on the threshold, “Hic Verbum caro
factum est” – “Here the Word became flesh”. Above the altar inside the holy
house is an ancient statue of Our Lady holding the Infant Jesus, known as Our
Lady of Loreto.
Things to Do
- Why
is Our Lady of Loreto connected with aviation? Read these two articles, Did angels really carry the Holy House of Mary to Loreto,
Italy? at Catholic News Agency and Our Lady of Loreto and Aviation from "All About
Mary" at the University of Dayton.
- Find
out the connection the University of Notre Dame has with Our Lady of Loreto.
- Visit
the website of Sanctuary
of the Holy House of Loreto.
- Here
is further reading about the Basilica of the Holy House (Basilica della Santa Casa)
- The
Litany of Loreto originated from this Shrine. Read about the Litany of Loreto in Context.
- See
The Illustrated Litany of Loreto for visual meditation
on the Litany of Loreto.
Human Rights Day[3]
Human Rights Day commemorates the day on which the United Nations issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document drafted by representatives from all regions of the world, which outlined fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The Declaration contains 30 articles that touch on rights to freedom, justice, peace, dignity, education and health care, amongst other rights. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations proclaimed the UDHR in an effort to help define equal rights that all humans on the planet deserve and can help the world achieve lasting freedom, justice and peace. Human Rights Day was officially declared by the United Nations in 1950. It is celebrated on December 10th each year and is marked by speeches and activities designed to bring attention to the issues surrounding the most pressing Human Rights issues worldwide.
Human Rights Day
Facts & Quotes
·
The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights
was one of their first declarations and came about after the atrocities
perpetrated upon humans during World War II were brought to light.
·
Over the past decade, armed conflict has killed
2 million children,
disabled another 4-5 million, left 12 million homeless and orphaned another
million.
·
Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery,
I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. - Abraham Lincoln
·
America did not invent human rights. In a very
real sense... human rights invented America. - Jimmy Carter
· I have cherished the ideal a democratic and free society... it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. - Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, who was imprisoned from 1964-1990.
Human Rights Day Top
Events and Things to Do
·
Educate yourself on current human rights fights
such as genocide by terrorist groups, slavery and trafficking and child labor
around the world.
·
Get involved with a local human rights
organization.
·
Watch a documentary about human rights issues
and violations. Some recommendations: Invisible Children (2006), Girl
Rising (2013) and Nefarious (2011).
·
The U.S. is not the only country to recognize
the importance of religious liberty. The UN Universal Declaration of Human
Rights--a foundational document for international law, created by
representatives from all over the world--recognizes this basic human right in
Article 18: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and
freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to
manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”.
Clearly, the framers of this document relied on human reason and saw the need
for governments to recognize this civil right.[4]
Jesse Tree[5]
Jesse
Tree Scriptures (The Symbols Are Only Suggestions)
December 1 Creation: Gen. 1:1-31; 2:1-4 Symbols:
sun, moon, stars, animals, earth
December 2 Adam and Eve: Gen. 2:7-9, 18-24 Symbols:
tree, man, woman
December 3 Fall of Man: Gen. 3:1-7 and 23-24 Symbols:
tree, serpent, apple with bite
December 4 Noah: Gen. 6:5-8, 13-22; 7:17, 23, 24; 8:1,
6-22 Symbols: ark, animals, dove, rainbow
December 5 Abraham: Gen. 12:1-3 Symbols: torch,
sword, mountain
December 6 Isaac: Gen. 22:1-14 Symbols: bundle of
wood, altar, ram in bush
December 7 Jacob: Gen. 25:1-34; 28:10-15 Symbols:
kettle, ladder
December 8 Joseph: Gen. 37:23-28; 45:3-15 Symbols:
bucket, well, silver coins, tunic
December 9 Moses: Ex. 2:1-10 Symbols: baby in
basket, river and rushes
December 10 Samuel: 1 Sam. 3:1-18 Symbols:
lamp, temple
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Restoring the Constitution.
·
Rosary
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-12-10
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