Friday, September 26, 2008

A Message to John from Ecclesiastes: A Time to Debate?


I love mixing faith and politics. They go so beautifully hand-in-hand.
In this case, my question is more tongue-in-cheek:
If there is a time to be silent, is there a time to debate?
Go Discussion! Go Debate! Go Ecclesiastes! Go John! Go Barack!


Eccl 3:1-11
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task that God has appointed for the sons of men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts, without man’s ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done.


Peace, Love,
Melissa

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i am actually dreading "debate" time. I would love to see "reflection" or "dialog" time. can you imagine if the candidates had to actually reflect that they understood the position and intentions of each other before they got to assert their reaction or counter point? debate time to me is war time. it leaves me frustrated and sad and completely unsatisfied.

but I love the words below. and you.

xoxo
co

Anonymous said...

Hi Queen Mab,

I heard this reading at Mass this morning. I found myself longing for the lines from the King James version - much more beautiful.Did you know that Pete Seeger wrote music for this pericope from Ecclesiastes? (The song Turn, Turn, Turn)

Best wishes,Brendan

Anonymous said...

Sweet, Melissa.

Marian