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Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans

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  Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans If you chase the wind , this is where the wind winds up; nowhere and everywhere. We have to come to an end . Qoheleth is a master of assemblies . Ecclesiastes is an address to a community . Ecclesiastes' words are wise, but don’t continue your despairing journey. Instead find the way to transcend and rise above the wind. This is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments (12:13).  The last time we spoke, our conversation moved towards (the topic of) prayer . But now it has moved towards fear? The fear of God? Recall that in Ecclesiastes God is called Elohim (rather than YHWH). Elohim is a plural form of God, a plurality of communion . The scriptures teach that the Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom . "Keeping God’s commandments " is the torah or teachings. In this case, the reference to commandments is mitzvah , like a bar mitzvah (or bat mitzvah ) when a young person becomes responsible for keeping the teachin...
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Nomadness

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  “Looking for something?” A simple question that may speak to our simple lives. What are we searching for? What are we missing? The spiritual nomad engages in ceaseless wandering. Such is the book of Ecclesiastes. Hevel . But v apour is so hard to grasp; therefore, we seek the tangible. Solomon built a majestic temple for YHWH Elohim , the one true God. It was a tangible house for His Glory to dwell in on earth.   But Qoheleth remains on a quest. He is looking for the true temple of God-Elohim. He says: “Frankly, a human being cannot understand what happens on earth, because however hard a man works to discover it, he will not find out. Despite what he thinks he knows, he will not be able to figure it out.” (Ecc 8:17) What is missing is a God that is not ‘far off' but who is close, nearby (7:24). But God is immortal, invisible, and dwells in inapproachable light (1Tim 6). Hence, Qoheleth feels lost, discouraged, and far from his home.  King Solomon knew that the kingdom ...
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Memento Mori / Tír na nÓg

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  Memento Mori . Remember... Our task presently is to read chapters 5 and 6 and seek to discover, daily, where the ideas of Ecclesiastes intersect our lives. We began our last conversation with a story — Memento Mori . In ancient times, when a Roman general returned victorious from a battle, they would have someone follow them, repeating the phrase Memento Mori , which means remember that you will die. This was to remind them that even though they survived the battle, they needed to remember their own mortality. This is a very sobering thought, like much of Ecclesiastes. A word that appeared and reappeared in our conversation was struggle . When we meditated on our daily lives and brought those meditations back to Ecclesiastes, we found that our lives had some element of struggle in them. This week, we heard a speaker on a panel say that we have gotten so used to doing things the easy way that we never do things the fun way. There is some joy to be found in persistence and struggl...
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Seasons will pass you by...

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  The Close to the Edge gatefold. An epiphany.  Artist: Roger Dean.  "Seasons Will Pass You By..." Our task presently is to read chapters 3 and 4 and seek to discover, daily, where the ideas of Ecclesiastes intersect our lives. The title, "Seasons Will Pass You By," comes from "Close to the Edge" by the band Yes. A 20-minute piece of music based on the novella Siddhartha . Both are about the seasons turning, the river flowing, and the endless cycle of being. Much like Ecclesiastes. Autumn, the time of harvest, is for giving thanks: Thanksgiving . This explains the wine and the bread we share. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, in the fall, is a celebration of God's gifts in the harvest. This is when the community reads Ecclesiastes together. It is a reminder to be thankful, grateful for God's gifts. It is also a reminder to the People that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. They lived homeless for decades in tents. This is why they live i...
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