The half empty glass of pessimism that is raised by the writer of Ecclesiastes
is met by the half-full chalice of life-giving blood that is offered to us by our Lord
during the prelude to his execution.
Two cups shared, filled with tension and realism,
given to us to drink;
one an antidote to the faux optimism that too often masquerades as spirituality;
the other a drink that flows from death and quenches the thirst of life.