Church of theEighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 3 August 2025
It is perhaps unlikely that there is a single one of us here who has not grappled at one time or another with the question, “Is life really worth all the trouble it seems to be?”
Qoheleth, in the First Reading, was really asking himself pretty much the same question. And more, he was answering the question with a fairly resounding “No, it isn’t.”
In fact, the message of the entire book seems to be that really there isn’t very much at all that is worth the trouble and the effort, and the worry that we so often seem to put into what we do.
The Gospel, too, seems to pick up much the same theme, especially that almost eery sounding parable of the man who had worked so hard and gained so much, all, really for nothing.
Well, despite the temptation to believe so, of course neither of these readings is anywhere near as gloomy as they seem to sound. Neither of them is urging on us any sort of cynicism or despair, but both of them certainly are urging on us the virtue St Paul extols in the Second Reading: balance, perspective, understanding what matters and what does not, and acting in accord with that understanding.
It is a very practical sort of virtue, really. Investing time, effort, and concern in something that really offers no potential for lasting return on that investment is foolish. That is a good way to translate the word ‘vanity’ in the First Reading: Foolishness.
So, what is worth the trouble? Where will we find a lasting return on our investment of time, effort and concern? Well, the readings make the point very clearly that material possessions are not worth the trouble. They just don’t last. More to the point, neither do we. Qoheleth rather cynically says that it just adds insult to injury when a person works hard, accomplishes a good bit, and someone else enjoys it.
It’s not that material possessions and comforts are bad or evil. They are not. It is just that they are not worth working very hard to get.
Christ in the Gospel tells us, “Store up what is valuable to God.” That is at least a good immediate answer. Certainly, part of what is valuable to God is the relationship between his people. Paul says the same thing in the Second Reading. Invest your effort, your energy, and your virtue in one another. Stop lying. Don’t be greedy. Live honourably. That is what Paul means by what he earlier calls “Seeking what is above.” Try it. Make an inventory of the relationships in your life. Are they solid? Are they loving? Are they trusting? Are they creative and developing? Anyone who can say ‘Yes’ to all of that more often than they have to say ‘No’ can also say with Paul, “It is worth the trouble.”
Fr Andrew