The Book of Ecclesiastes seems to look on human existence as trapped in a repetitious cycle. The dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it. Or as the old Bruce Hornsby song put it: “that’s just the way it is. Some things will never change.” Jesus on the other hand sees human history going someplace. His coming death will alter forever the arc of human endeavor. Things will change as the result of the pascal mystery. We can often feel like we’re in a rut, that no matter how we try nothing gets better. The message of Jesus is that change is possible, that God is at work creating the kingdom of heaven.
