A TIME FOR EVERYTHING
There is a time for
everything, but time by itself accomplishes nothing. It is an opportunity,
nothing more. It is up to us to use our time well for what really counts in
life.
We say that time heals all wounds. When we are
uncertain about the outcome of some event, we reluctantly admit that time will
tell. The author, Thomas Mann, wrote that time cools and clarifies our moods.
Of course time does none of these things, but it is the condition in which they
happen. Time is God's gift. Many of us complain that we do not have enough
time, but for at least some of us nothing would get done if we had all the time
in the world! How we use our time is more important than how much time we have.
Jesus, in a relatively short span of life, founded the Church and accomplished
the salvation of the world.
The fact is that we almost always find time
for what we like or want to do. We should consider how many hours a day we
consume in reading the paper or watching television. Some of that time is
needed to keep up with events and to enjoy needed relaxation, but we must judge
whether we are using it well. In a fast moving, noisy world most of us need
time for peace and quiet to pray and to reflect on life and its values. For at
least some part of the day we need to shut off the radio, television and
internet. We need to lay aside our newspapers and magazines and other
distractions. We must make time to be alone with God.
The most import moments of the day are those
spent at Mass! But even the Mass does not exhaust our relationship with God.
The Mass is worship by and with our community; it is God's family at prayer.
But each of us is an individual with particular needs. Alone with God we should
tell Him of our personal failures and successes, our joys and sorrows, our
worries and concerns. Then we need to listen, to open our minds to hear God
speaking to us in quiet.
Life is short. It would be a shame to waste it
on meaningless activity. The first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes tells
us that there is a time for everything, but time by itself accomplishes
nothing. It is an opportunity, nothing more. It is up to us to use our time
well for what really counts in life.