The words in the first reading from Ecclesiastes (The Preacher) today seem so bleak. Life when we are younger seems full of energy. When we grow older, life will be sucked of its vibrancy. Always have God as the goal of our lives throughout. Ultimately, the Preacher cries that all is vanity. The psalm then speaks about the sweeping of men away like a dream, men who are like grass which springs up in the morning and withers in the evening. The certainty of man's death is emphasised throughout the readings. Jesus Himself refers to this in His words to the disciples that the Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men. Like all men, Jesus knew that He would die. It is also striking that He told His disciples this at a time when everyone was full of admiration for what He did. Could it be that He wished to remind the disciples that the praise of man is chasing after vanity and that the only ultimate certainty is the judgment of God, as the Preacher had spoken about so many years ago? Still, in our daily lives, the psalmist points us to the morning's call to the Lord to fill us with His love and to give success to our work. In this, we may exult in Him every day.

In spite of the bleakness of the readings, we have hope in the risen Lord.