futility / vanity

The Letter to the Romans 8:20 (NABRE) contains an elegant description of the state of fallen humanity that characterizes creation as being made “subject to futility.” The word here translated as futility also sometimes is translated as vanity, and it carries significant shades of meaning.

The Greek word ματαιότης (mataiotes) only appears in surviving Greek literature in the biblical texts and ecclesiastical writings, which means it was not a frequently used word or common concept for the Greeks. Definitions for this word follow three different lines—all of which are worth considering in this context. The first is that the thing is devoid of truth or appropriateness. The second is that the thing being described is perverse or depraved. The third suggests frailty or an inability to bring about a purpose. All three of these meanings potentially come into play in the context of the passage from the Letter to the Romans. Paul sees the world as stuck in falsehood and depravity and as a result unable to reach its intended goal or endpoint.

This view is a fitting image of our world and our lives without Christ. We lack the truth, purity, and strength to bring ourselves to the intended outcome. Christ came to fix what is wrong and to empower us to change.

you also may like Volume I of our Psalms study
Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers provides an in-depth look at Psalms prayed in morning and evening liturgies. (Volume II, set for publication in 2024, looks at Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline.) The study is based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, a translation prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

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