By Fr. Thomas Kuffel

"Vanity of vanities," says Qoheleth in today's first reading, "All things are vanity." Vanity is fleeting, lacks substance and depth, is terminally superficial. In appearance, vain things allure. Yet Proverbs instructs us, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." (Proverbs 31:30)

Wisdom, here personified as a woman, "is more beautiful than the sun." (Wisdom 7:29) "She is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness." She overcomes the charm of vanity and exposes how vapid and insipid it is.

Vanity is a sweet taste to the tongue, but is bitter within, destroying the beauty of Divine Wisdom. Wisdom, true beauty, gives birth to the beautiful because she is beauty. Her beauty is not fleeting, a superficial makeover covering up flaws. Rather, she dwells within transforming the soul with her integrity, clarity, and harmony - making us beautiful within, for she orders all things sweetly.

Only those who have this inner wisdom have the capacity to see vanity for what it is: folly. Folly, transient flirtation, ushers the soul into corruption. Wisdom, however, from her treasury brings forth good. Qoheleth cautions us:

Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. (Proverbs 4:23-25)

That direct gaze penetrates the mysteries of life and moves us along in the limited time we are given, which makes time, too, of the essence.

Time is precious. Eighty years for those who are strong. Seventy for those who are not. And much of this is toil and labor if not lived for the Lord. For those who live for the Lord, however, eternity awaits; for those who do not, living superficially becomes like chaff, blown away in the wind.

To instruct us in the ways of Wisdom, St. Paul reminds us: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body." (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Wisdom teaches us to number our days aright and gain knowledge of the mysteries laid at the foundation of Creation. No longer do gold and silver, possessions and powers, rule our lives. Rather, we are now commanded by compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and repentance. (compare with Colossians 3:12-13)

Wisdom, rightly ordering our lives, enriches. All that defiles is then purified, and anxiety becomes trust. To obtain this Wisdom, however, we must pray. In prayer, understanding is given, and Wisdom's spirit fills the soul: "I preferred her to scepters and thrones, and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her." (Wisdom 7: Verse 7)

Vanity, however, incessantly deviates from the proper trajectory for our lives. The earth and all its majesty tempt us to treasure Creation over the Creator. We store up earthly treasures in earthen vessels; yet rust devours our precious trinkets. Moths eat our finery. "Thieves break in and steal" (Matthew 6: Verse 19), leaving us riddled and befuddled.

All that we have accomplished - status, position, popularity, and productivity - causes despair. At our death, they are lost, without memory.

Wisdom differs, as Qoheleth remarks, "God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living." (Wisdom 1: Verse 13) Wisdom, the attendant of God's throne, penetrates the mind and gives the insight that our work is our worship, dedicated to God.

This work transcends our everyday lives, expanding our horizons by giving back to God what God has generously given to us. As Isaiah rightly puts it: "You have accomplished all that we have done." (Isaiah 26:12) Work, properly done, is not vain. It co-creates, along with God's glory.

Work for many of us seems to be toil because we work only for ourselves. We do not see work as a God-given...