Finding Meaning in a World in Chaos
“For every time there is a season” (Ecc: 3:1)
Father Deacon Howard
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was a period of belief, it was a time of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”
These memorable words of Charles Dickens in the opening paragraph of his historical novel The Tale of Two Cities describe the chaos of life in Paris and London, prior to the French Revolution. They could just as well have been written by the editorial board of the New York Times to describe the havoc humanity faces today.
As it was in the time of Dickens our body politic is sick. And like those in London and Paris in 1859, today’s victims of injustice seek justice, even if it entails revolution. Some sectors in society are fighting to change the systems that govern them. They want institutional reforms to deal with endemic police brutality, rampant racism, homelessness, poverty, widespread discrimination, pervasive social exclusion, gender inequality, and employment and salary inequities.
The difficulty we face today is not only with political systems that have failed us but also health care systems that struggle to look after us as they confront a toxic pandemic virus. Despite the heroic efforts of scientific communities world-wide to discover a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus and the courageous care of health-care professionals to contain it, millions more will be infected and100’s of thousands of people will die. This virulent virus continues to have the upper hand and it has caused many of us to reassess the way we have become accustomed to living our life and celebrate our Divine Liturgy.
A significant number of people believe that it’s best to ignore the pandemic virus. They tell us to stop worrying.” We will come out of it on the other side”. Yet, it has shaken the confidence of people world-wide as to “how they will come out of it”. They find little comfort in this rationale when for 1000’s, the other side is death. In despair and with a sense of helplessness they ask themselves “how should I deal with it.” Ignoring our problems when faced with such a calamity is not the answer to finding meaning in one’s life. It’s a recipe for disaster.
Others think that the best way to deal with despair and feelings of helplessness is to live out the philosophy as put forward in the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes. It contains the wisdom of a man called the Philosopher, who reflected deeply on how contradictory life is with its mysterious injustices and frustrations. His philosophy of life is rooted in the passage 3:1 “for every time there is a season”. In other words, everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses. You can’t add anything or take anything away from what God does. The best thing we can do is to eat, and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short time God has given us (2:24). Besides it makes no difference what we do. It’s our fate (5:18). “The same fate comes to the righteous and the wicked, to the good or bad, to those who are religious and those who are not. A good person is no better off than the sinner” (9:2).One fate comes to all alike. “Go ahead – eat your food and be happy; drink your wine and be cheerful. It’s all right with God. God has given you this world. Enjoy, every useless day of it”. (9:7-9) “Useless, useless, said the Philosopher. It is all useless”. (12:8)
The “Philosopher” hoped that people would find his words of wisdom reassuring. But his conclusion that “life is useless” is not a consoling plan of action in a time of crisis. In spite of that, many take comfort in seeing themselves in the mirror of Ecclesiastes. They have discovered that the same Bible which reflects these negative and depressing thoughts also offers the hope in God that gives life its greater meaning.
St. Paul tells us in Romans 10:1-10 that if we want to find meaning in life we must recognize the righteousness that comes from God. He tells us that the Jews promoted their own idea of what is required to be right with God. In doing so, they put their salvation in jeopardy. St. Paul is unwavering in his belief that we must submit to the righteousness of God. And for those who do not live a righteous life, salvation is not possible.
Righteousness is a common theme in Paul’s Epistles. To understand righteousness is to understand that God created us in his own image. In his image God made us free to withhold our hearts and wills from Him. We can dare to say that when we respond to His love, we please our Creator; when we reject it, by sin, we grieve and offend Him. To be right with God then means to freely chose to love Him and willfully chose not to offend Him by acting contrary to His wishes.
Lastly, Paul reminds us that righteousness comes from faith proclaimed in the Word of God. Everyone who has this faith in their heart, and believes it, is made righteous. And by confessing that Jesus is Lord they are saved.
Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory be forever!