As the end of the civil year approaches and as we prepare to celebrate with gratitude, or perhaps with regret, the time that has passed and to embrace with hope, or perhaps with fear, the new time that is approaching … these realities present us with an opportunity to reflect on the importance of time, to reflect on the positive elements involved in marking the passing of time in our life and in the life of the world.
Perhaps when we were small children time passed unnoticed because, since we did not have any experience, we were unable to understand the importance of time.
As we became older and adults, as we began to have obligations that placed demands upon us, we began to appreciate the importance of time. For example, to waste time (in a useless manner) was costly … very costly not only for ourselves but also for our projects and for our dreams.
When we have witnessed the passaing of many days and years, when our activity has diminished and we no longer have as many obligations as before, when our bodies and spirits grow weary and tired, perhaps once again we begin to feel as though time is not so important … but not becuase time is unnoticed. Quite the contrary. Perhaps each day and each hour passes too slowly and depending on our attitude with regard to life, this could be either unpleasant or a great opportunity: an opportunity to think, to pray, to share, to contemplate..
So what is the real importance of time? For those who have a vocation characterized by eternity, for those who believe in a God for whom a thousand years are like one day … for such persons time is simply a limitation to which they will be subject to until they arrive at the eternal house of the Father.
Therefore, time, created by God, is an opportunity and a God-given gift that enables us to be happy and to make other happy (knowing, however, that such happiness will never be achieved in its fullness as long as time exists).
We are approaching the conclusión of a year, the conclusión of a decade. This is a time to examine ourselves, to be thankful, to repent and to plan … and when the new day dawns and when the new decade begins, we will have a new opportunity, a God-given opportunity, to do good where in the past we acted wrongfully and with the help of God’s grace, to act with greater firmness with regard to those things that we have done well.
So let us glorify the One who is eternal, the One who entered into our time in order to save us.
Fr. Carlos de la Rivera, CM
Province of Chile
Translated
Charles T. Plock, CM
Eastern Province, USA
