August 3, 2025; Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23; 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
All of us are attracted to concrete things, things we can see and touch, things we can own and possess. Because these things are part of God’s creation, they are good. They can provide us with pleasure and a certain amount of security. But concrete things in and of themselves are not enough to make a life worth living. This is true even though we are always tempted to think that they are. When someone asks us, “Are you living a good life?” we are tempted to say, “Well, look at my house, look at the car that I drive, the clothes that I wear. Check out my investments!” Now these things have importance, but they are not the most important things.
The humorist Art Buchwald once quipped, “The best things in life are not things.” We need more than our possessions to create a good and fulfilling life. This is what the Jewish sage Qoheleth is trying to tell us in today’s First Reading. He uses the word “vanity.” He shockingly says, “Vanity of vanities, all things are vanity!” All that we have, all that we have accomplished is vanity. It’s not bad. It’s just not enough.
I think that most of us here this morning are doing pretty well with material things. That is why I am willing to bet that you’ve already noticed how, despite all the pleasure and satisfaction they can bring, they regularly leave us wanting for more. Perhaps you have been thinking, “You know, it’s time to I remodel my kitchen. It’s dated. It doesn’t have the space that I need.” You have the resources to do it. So you find a contractor, draw up some plans and make it happen. It turns out beautiful. You just love it!—Now what? You may have been dreaming to take a vacation of a lifetime, going to some place that you always wanted to go. So you pull together the resources, make the plans, invite some family and friends, and go. It’s amazing. It’s something that you will never forget— Now what? That phrase “now what?” is a reminder that for all of the pleasure and comfort our possessions can provide us, they do not in and of themselves create a good and complete life.
So what does? How do we find such a life? It results from who we are and how we choose to give. It is a life worth living when we can say, “I loved my children. I constantly tried to put their needs before my own. I was not a perfect parent, but I did my best.” It’s when we can say, “I treated other people with dignity, even when I didn’t understand them. I tried not to manipulate anyone to serve my own purposes, and when I was wrong, I admitted it and tried to change.” A good life is when we can say, “I stood up for the underdog. I used my time and influence to help, not only the people who were close to me, but those who were in real need.”
To be that kind of person, to give in that kind of way is what makes a good life. All of the rest is vanity. It’s not bad, it’s just not enough. We can start living that good life today. Whether we are eighteen or eighty, we can choose to be that kind of person, to give in the kind of way that results in a life that does not disappoint us, a life which leads to the fullness of joy.