The Rhythm of Life and ultimate hope of Christianity
September 27, 2024 - Friday, Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
In 1965, The Byrds, an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, released a song titled "Turn! Turn! Turn!" The lyrics are almost a direct quotation of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, featured in our first reading today. The song became a hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 4, 1965. This song is one of the few examples where a portion of the Bible is popularized through contemporary music. The song was written in 1959 by Pete Seeger, and its subtitle was "To Everything There Is a Season" (see Wikipedia).
"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens" (Eccl. 3:1). The list includes fourteen pairs of fundamental human activities or emotions, encompassing the totality of life's experiences. Each pair consists of opposites—"a time to be born, and a time to die" (Eccl. 3:2), for example—and the repetition of the word "time" creates a sense of rhythm, giving the passage a poetic quality. Since the passage speaks about our life’s experiences, its message can be understood across cultures and religions.
The fundamental cycle of our experience is that of birth and death. There is no escape from it. But at the same time, the author notices eternity placed within our hearts (see Eccl. 3:11). The author of the Book of Wisdom tells us that we have been created for eternity, "but through the devil’s envy death entered the world" (see Wisdom 2:23-24). Other cycles refer to agriculture, human relationships, and war and peace. In this way, the passage leads us to reflect on the transient nature of human life and the paradoxes that life brings with it.
The author was a keen observer of human affairs and international relations. However, the passage should not be interpreted as a guide for living or as a justification for harmful actions. Although we should learn when to plant and to harvest, when to speak and when to keep silent, none of us should discern a time for wounding, hating, or killing. Even the phrase "there is a time for war" should not be used to justify wars and armed conflicts.
The passage helps us meditate on the complexity of life. We must agree with the author that many things we do not understand, and for many things, there is no explanation. The least we can do is observe life and, like the author, draw wise conclusions. We can also, following the example of Martin Luther King Jr., hope that there will be a time for justice, brotherhood, and universal peace.
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Eccl. 3:1). We can look forward, then, to a time when the history of salvation shall come to its completion with the final victory of Christ over death. We can look forward to a new heaven and a new earth where death is no more, and all tears are wiped away from our eyes (see Rev. 21:1-4). We can look forward to "the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal" (Rev. 21:11). We can look forward to the coming of Christ, the Alpha and Omega of our faith, and life everlasting in the age to come.