Difficult Days Will Come

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”:

Ecclesiastes 12:1 NKJV

Many of us have experienced the bitter realization of losing joy and desire to do many things. This inability to feel pleasure can be widespread or limited to some areas of our relationships, and at the most critical moment, it can lead to ill-considered decisions. In the case of Ecclesiastes, we are faced with the inability to enjoy the small and great pleasures of life, in anticipation of old age when a series of physical problems begin to appear on the horizon, as suggested by some scholars: “the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened... those who look out of the windows are darkened” (loss of sight), “the guardians of the house tremble” (arthrosis or Parkinson's disease), “the grinders stop working because there are few left” (tooth loss), “the doors on the street close” (hearing loss), “when one is afraid of heights and scares on the street” (mobility difficulties). Our beautiful country is becoming an increasingly ‘elderly’ nation (over 65 years of age), even with a high average life expectancy: 83.4 years. Estimates indicate that by 2050, people aged 65 and over will outnumber young people under the age of 15 by three to one. And this is not only in Italy. When you think about it, this is a bleak picture for today's younger generations.

The words of Ecclesiastes are addressed to the young man who still considers the time to think about God to be far off, and whose only concern seems to be to live in the total carefreeness of the present: "Rejoice ...; follow the ways of your heart and the vision of your eyes... Remove sorrow from your heart and pain from your body, for youth and adolescence are vanity" (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10). This advice to young people, delivered with a touch of irony, is a description of the natural way of life for most of us. Who would want to deprive themselves of joy, hold on to sadness, and cling to pain? Only a fool! Many consider life to be something to be enjoyed, while everything else can be dealt with later, as there will be plenty of time. Those who are more far-sighted, however, know that adolescence and youth are precious times in which our existence takes shape and the foundations for the future are laid, even though the future may seem increasingly uncertain. The truth remains that the Bible does not condemn joy and fun. Just think of the feast that the father in Luke's parable organizes for the prodigal son when he returns home, repentant of his choice to leave. God rejoices with us.

Remember! It may seem impossible to some, but we can and must live rejoicing, without ignoring the Creator. The problem with man is that he wants to rejoice, be happy, and have fun, but without taking into account the Lord and His precepts. He wants to be the master of his own existence, excluding the One who gave him life. The difficulties and tribulations that we face cyclically should encourage reflection and a change of attitude. Unfortunately, we are here to see that human beings remain deliberately forgetful. To help us return to ourselves, just like the prodigal son, the words of Ecclesiastes urge us to consider the vanity of our lives and to keep in mind the dark days that lie ahead, without forgetting that the day will come when we will appear before the throne of God. Wise is the one who decides not to put it off any longer. This is the meaning of that “before” that occurs six times, because if physical, mental, and spiritual strength fail, it will be difficult to think about God. Ecclesiastes tells us how important the time we have is and how quickly it passes. “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who looks at the clouds will not reap” (11:4). Let us put aside all conditioning and return to rejoicing in the Lord for what He has provided us with so far. Today is the day.

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Weekly Bible Reading Plan #10

March 2, Numbers 23-25; Mark 7:14-37

March 3, Numbers 26-28; Mark 8

March 4, Numbers 29-31; Mark 9:1-29

March 5, Numbers 32-34; Mark 9:30-50

March 6, Numbers 35-36; Mark 10:1-31

March 7, Deuteronomy 1-3; Mark 10:32-52

March 8, Deuteronomy 4-6; Mark 11:1-18