Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 / Luke 9:7-9
It is said that
seeing is believing. Generally speaking that may be true, especially
when we have heard about something and then finally get to see it for
ourselves with our own eyes.
Yet there may be other instances where seeing may not necessarily lead to believing.
In the gospel we heard that Herod was anxious to see Jesus; he had this longing to see who this Jesus was that he heard about.
But when Herod finally got to see Jesus during His passion, he didn't think much about who he was looking at.
Perhaps
the pathetic state of being condemned led Herod to think that Jesus was
just a shooting star that would fade off into the darkness.
Yet the 1st reading makes us reflect deeper on what we are seeing around us.
Images
of the sun rising and setting, the wind blowing, the waters of the
river flowing into the sea are telling us something about the reality of
our lives.
Yet it is not about how much our eyes have seen or how much our ears have heard.
It is a matter of how much our hearts are filled - filled with mystery.
In the Eucharist we see things like bread and wine and we hear prayers.
May our hearts also be filled with the mystery of God's love.