September 24, 2026 // Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 

Reflect on the Word //

I strolled down Michigan Avenue in Chicago with an iced tea in one hand, a tiny shoulder bag dangling from my arm, and my other hand free to peruse racks of clothing, rummage through my wallet for a card, and grasp the woven strings of a gusseted shopping bag. I passed window after window laughing with my friends, all of us relieved to have a break from school. The towering luxury shops there were different from the humble boutiques in our college town’s pedestrian mall. The grandeur of the shop exteriors enticed me, and as I caught glimpses of the “new collection,” “limited stock,” and “Be the first!” signs, I was surprised by my sudden distractedness and piqued curiosity.

As I look back upon this trip with my friends, it isn’t the “limited edition” clothes I purchased that day that I remember. In fact, I’m not even sure that I could pick them out from among the “tired,” vintage, and thrifted items in my closet now. In today’s First Reading, we are reminded that “Nothing is new under the sun. Even the thing of which we say, ‘See, this is new!’ has already existed in the ages that preceded us” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10). God is not impressed by the newest fads and repackaged idols. He is impressed by a renewed spirit, one that looks beyond the barrage of marketing ploys and toward the Eternal Wedding Feast, invitation in hand. 

What I do remember about my trip are the little pockets of joy I experienced that day in the big city: posing for windswept pictures by the Bean, taking a bite of my first ever Chicago-style hot dog, and looking up in wonder at the Holy Name Cathedral ceilings. These were the things that took me outside of myself for a moment and gave me a glimpse of God’s delight in me.

It is hard to avoid the pulls of materialism and trendy behavior in our digital and consumer-driven world. But God calls us to look past these vanities, to savor the joys of life that remind us that all creation comes from and returns to Him.

Relate to the Lord // Savor the joys of life today and journal what you experience.