Octave Day of Christmas 1 January 2023
We pause on New Years Day to think on the passing of time, how quickly it goes and for that matter how fast several years together can go.
From a Christian point of view two things are clear: that time is a gift from God in which we can learn to know, love and serve Him with all our hearts and minds for as long as He lets us do that.
Secondly, that God gives us time to convert all sinners (starting with ourselves).
Not everyone wants to convert, but many will do so, and we need time for that to happen.
Because we have day and night, and seasons of the year, we could conclude that time is circular, and this could give us a sense of resignation that it will go on forever. This view encourages a more relaxed approach – there is no urgency to do anything, least of all repent! There is no judgment or accountability under this view. Time is impersonal and has nothing in particular to teach us.
For Christians, however, there is a real urgency about our handling of time.
Our view is linear not circular. We have a sense of purpose; we are on a mission to do God's will.
Our purpose in a word: to reach personal holiness, and to bring the kingdom of Heaven to the earth.
We do not just drift – we press! Many things we do not understand fully, but we keep on that straight line.
We go from birth to death, and then eternity. The earth will not always be like this.
We do not have all day! We never know when something dramatic is going to happen.
Our view of time is highly personal, insofar as we believe every person is created by God, and He takes an intense interest in each person.
We may be just a grain of sand in terms of our relative size to the rest of the universe, but we are loved by God and called to take our part in His plans.
This is one of our remarkable beliefs - that every person does matter.
We pass through this life, and can be forgotten (by most) but not by Him.
We have only one life (we do not come back as someone else!), and it may be a short one (in earthly terms).
We want to get it right for the Master, as soon as possible, and as intense in our commitment as possible. We are the faithful servants who will be found at their work when the Master calls Time. (Mt 24,46)
Those he finds working will be the branches to His vine, and they will continue to bear fruit. (Jn 15,5)
New Years Day gives us a reference point. We can repent any time of year, and make resolutions any time, but New Year has a certain pulling power on us, and gives us one more reminder.
Although we must keep a tone of urgency in our service of God, we will not always be doing anything spectacular. Much of what God asks of us is patient fidelity, humility, and service, and related qualities.
We can be a quiet presence, like a seed becoming a tree.
We offer every prayer, good intention, and suffering, and pray that it can be used for God's overall plan.
The saints exhort us to give the most we have. The way of the world is to slacken off and just live for the moment.
The circular view of time is that nothing is worth too much effort. We say, no, we can apply God's grace and bring about necessary change.
We accept God's wisdom to bring everything around to where it needs to be.
Soon enough there will be no more time as we know it now. Only Eternity.
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