I live in a men’s dorm — an oddity in these days when the LGBTQ agenda determines the policy, even of some Catholic colleges – so the initial part of today’s poetic 1st reading is especially relevant. Youth is a time of happiness and young men are constant reminders (even at 2 AM!) of the bouncing springtime of the world, just after God created it.
Then, like in this time of the year, when days go shorter and leaves blow restless, there are reminders that eventually the silver cord is snapped, the golden bowl is broken, the pitcher is shattered and the pulley falls into the well.
This tableau, given in the 1st reading of today’s Mass, invites a quiet contemplation on the normal unfolding of life, from the springtime of youth to the decrepitude of old age. Such is the lot of those who are born and of those who die. And God is there with all.