Easter Sunday (Fr. Simham)
CHRISTIANITY IS NOT VANITY
Let me wish you a Happy Easter.
One of the most fascinating books in the Bible is Ecclesiastes. The book begins saying “The words of the preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem. Vanity of Vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Then he goes on explaining why he is saying this. He says “Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labour which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” (Ecc. 2:11)
Then I said to myself, ” As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.”(Ecc. 2:15)
And again I work hard and save a lot of wealth. When I die I have to leave it for others to enjoy. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labour for which I have laboured by acting wisely under the sun This too is vanity. (Ecc.2:18-19)
And finally “For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.( Ecc. 3:19)
This makes us to ask the critical question. Is our human life a vanity? All what we do in life; do you think they are a vanity? A waste of time? One of my friends shocked me after my first mass when he said “ Don’t you think you are wasting your life by becoming a priest? Because there is so much to enjoy in life which you are going to miss out.” Jesus, this is not what I expected on the first day of my ordination. A life of sacrifice, a life of service and a life of holiness, sincerity, honesty and dedication: is it not a waste of time? Yes! I say ‘Yes.’ Our Christian life with all the above said things would have been a vanity; ‘a chasing after the wind’ if Christ is not risen from the dead. Yes, I would have been wasting my life and energy here if Christ is not risen from the dead. You would be wasting your precious time here in the church if Christ is not risen.
Personally for Jesus the man-incarnate: his life would have been a vanity and a chasing-after-the-wind if he had not risen from the dead. Let me put it this way. He was man (incarnate) who went around doing good. Look at the words of Peter to Cornelius. “He went around doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil because God was with him” (Acts 10/34 ff.) Yes he always believed that God was with him and he is doing his father’(God’s) will. That gave him the boost to carry on his work
Even when the opposition was developing and the enemies were planning his death; he always believed that his father will not abandon him. In the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed to his father about his anguish about the impending death asking him to take it away. But at the end abandoning his will to father’s will. And when he was abandoned to die alone on the cross he cried “My God my god why have you forsaken me” But at the end he said “Into your hands Father, I commend my Spirit.” Now such a life of total dedication to God and of full service to man “Can it be a vanity? A useless effort. A meaningless exercise? A chase-after-the-wind? No it cannot be. To vindicate this “God raised him from the dead” or “he rose from the dead.” Saying ‘life of total commitment to God and service to humanity cannot be a futile exercise; a Vanity.’ No it cannot be.
This is what we celebrate today. As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, his victory over sin and death and all the other things we believe, what we celebrate is our own faith and its worth. This is St. Paul clearly states in his epistle to Corinthians (1 Cor. 15: 14) “If Christ has not been raised from the dead then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” I wonder if vanity can survive so many centuries and can conquer so many hearts.”
So what we celebrate today is the truth that Christianity is not a Vanity but a reality. Are you a devout catholic and a believer of total dedication to God and service to humanity and people are looking at you as a mad man or woman, or laughing at your religiosity. Don’t worry. Its worth enduring. Your goodness is used and abused. You are not appreciated and accepted for your faith. Do not be discouraged. You will be the ultimate winner. Because the Lord is Risen. Halleluiah. Amen
Fr. Showreelu Simham