School Starting and Today's Readings

08-04-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi

Dear Parishioners,

I send a warm welcome to the students, Staff and the St. John Bosco school community returning for the 2019/2020 academic school year. I especially welcome the new students and their families to our community. The kick-off for the academic year began with a Day of Prayer and an In-House Retreat for the faculty on Friday, August 2. The students return to school on Wednesday, August 7. We missed the children during the summer break and are looking forward to having them back! I am particularly looking forward to visiting with them to hear stories of their summer break, and what the new students think of our SJB Community. Above all, I look forward to celebrating the Liturgy together.

Our First Reading today comes from the book of Ecclesiastes. Please note, the diff erence between the book of Ecclesiastes and the book of Ecclesiasticus. Often, people confuse the diff erence between these two. Ecclesiastes comes from the Greek word meaning “Church-things” or the community of God’s people. It reflects generally on life’s problems, ponderings and practices. The passage we read today considers all material things and human achievements as vanity or illusion. This does not mean that life on earth is useless or of no value, but that everything in this world is temporary. Only God and our spiritual life remain forever.

The book of Ecclesiasticus, on the other hand (also known as the book of Sirach) is one of the seven Deuterocanonical books found only in the Catholic Bible. Besides the name, one other similarity between the books of Ecclesiastes and Ecclesiasticus is that they both fall under a set of books known as the “Wisdom Literature” in the Old Testament; however, their focus are quite diff erent. While the book of Ecclesiastes focuses on the philosophical reflections about the meaning of life, Ecclesiasticus focuses on the wisdom to discern what is ethical and right judgment. Please email me if you have any questions about the difference between these two books, if you would like to know more, or even if you have questions about the difference between the Catholic and Protestant Bibles.

Today, the overall message from the First Reading and the Gospel is to caution us to be watchful that we do not allow the material possessions and human achievements to displace God as the highest priority in our lives. We are also reminded of the ultimate goal of life: strive to have a strong relationship with God, which will lead us into eternal life with God in heaven.

Thank you and Remain Blessed.

Fr. James