NOTES for Ecc 1:2-11
The words of Ecclesiastes that we read today seem gloomy to many people. “Vanity of vanities, says Ecclesiastes, vanity of vanities—all is vanity! What does a person gain from all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” What do these words mean today? Why does the Church invite us to reflect on this text today? Are we called to abandon everything we do because a person gains nothing from all his toil? Or, since it is clear that the Lord never called us to idleness, can we simply ignore these words and attribute everything to the pessimism of Ecclesiastes? Or... is the Lord telling us something after all? He calls us to stop and think. To think about what is important in life and what is secondary, how much effort is wasted and how little effort, attention, and energy is devoted to what truly matters. To reflect... and change something in our lives.