Vanity of Vanities? The Mercy That Gives Meaning

Eccl 1:2-11, Psalm: 89, Lk 9:7-9

Our Lady of Mercy (White)

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this feast of Our Lady of Mercy, the Church invites us to reflect on the seeming emptiness of life without God. The prophet Ecclesiastes declares, “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” He looks at the world and sees the endless cycle of birth and death, of work and rest, of striving and fading. There is nothing new under the sun. The world is passing away, and all our labors are ultimately meaningless—unless we have mercy.

In the Gospel of Luke, we see a man who is caught in the vanity of power. Herod the tetrarch hears about Jesus, and he is perplexed. He says, “John I beheaded. Who is this about whom I hear such things?” Herod is consumed by curiosity, but he does not seek the truth. He is trapped in his own pride, his own guilt, his own fear. He hears about Jesus, but he does not recognize the mercy that stands before him.

The feast of Our Lady of Mercy reminds us that mercy is the answer to the emptiness of the world. The world says, “All is vanity.” God says, “I am mercy.” The world says, “There is nothing new under the sun.” God says, “Behold, I make all things new.” The world says, “Everything passes away.” God says, “My mercy endures forever.”

Mary is the Mother of Mercy. She is the one who brings Jesus to us, the one who intercedes for us, the one who shows us the face of mercy. She is the one who says to us, “Do whatever he tells you.” She points us to her Son, who is the source of all mercy. She is the one who stands at the foot of the Cross, sharing in the suffering of her Son, and interceding for us.

Pope Francis has said, “Mary is the Mother of Mercy, because she gave birth to Mercy itself.” Saint John Paul II, in his encyclical Dives in Misericordia, wrote, “The Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy.” And Saint Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, wrote, “The greatest attribute of God is mercy.”

What does this mean for us? We are called to recognize the emptiness of the world and to seek the mercy of God. We are called to turn to Mary, the Mother of Mercy, and to ask her intercession. We are called to be witnesses of mercy in a world that is often empty and cold.

Today, let us examine our hearts. Are we caught in the vanity of the world, or are we seeking the mercy of God? Let us turn to Our Lady of Mercy and ask her to intercede for us. Let us receive the mercy of God and extend it to others. For the world is passing away, but mercy endures forever. Amen.

May God bless you all!