＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11

All is meaningless – says the Teacher – meaningless, meaningless! 

What profit is there for a man in all his work for which he toils under the sun?  A generation goes, a generation comes and the earth remains forever. The sun rises, the sun sets, hastening towards the place where it again rises.

Blowing to the south, turning to the north, the wind goes round and round and after all its rounds it has to blow again. All rivers go to the sea but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers come from, there they return again.  

All words become weary and speech comes to an end, but the eye has never seen enough nor the ear heard too much. What has happened before will happen again; what has been done before will be done again: there is nothing new under the sun. 

 If they say to you, “See, it’s new!” know that it has already been centuries earlier.  There is no remembrance of ancient people, and those to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.

 

Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 & 17 bc

In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 9:7-9

 King Herod heard of all this and did not know what to think, for people said, “This is John, raised from the dead.” Others believed that Elijah or one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. As for Herod, he said, “I had John beheaded; who is this man about whom I hear such wonders?” And he was anxious to see him.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Many world leaders rule through politics of fear. Some would deploy armed agents to raid people without warrant or verification. Others would shame the opposition by digging private issues and personal dirt.

These paranoid leaders go sleepless twenty-four hours making sure no one closes in on their hold of power. The causes of this fear do not really come from the outside.

It is their own incompetence, insecurity, and self-distrust which make them restless days-in –and-out. This was the case of King Herod. He was held captive by his own insecurity that he could not decide on his own. He feared his wife, his court advisers, his staff because he is scared of himself.

John and Jesus haunted him not because he was moved by their teachings. He suffered anxiety hearing their names because they hit his fragile base of leadership, they point to him his weak legitimacy to hold power.