time is short - 23rd week wednesday 2014
First,
tempus breve est. Time is short. The apostle Paul in our first reading says
this line in order to encourage us to make the very best use of our time to
serve God and others for his sake.
Why
is celibacy noble, why is it advantageous to remain unmarried? Because time is short, too short to be
preoccupied by so many concerns – including the obligation of providing for a
family. Why is the resolution to remain
a virgin, to remain unattached good and even excellent? Because time is short, which only leaves us
time enough to provide for eternity and we have no more time to for the pursuit
of the temporal.
Second,
for Paul the highest, in fact the only value is to be with Christ for all
eternity and everything I do and everything I have should serve this end. What will help us attain this goal? Paul said “from now on, let those having
wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as
not rejoicing, those buying as not owning.
The point here is be detached, be indifferent. Everything should be used for the attainment
of the goal. The things of this world
have value to me in so far as they allow me to become a better person, in so
far as they help me to grow into a loving person, and in so far that they help me
to grow closer to my goal which is to be with Christ for all eternity. Is money helping you to become a better
person, are your friends helping you to become a loving person, do your gadgets
and things bring you closer to Jesus. If
not, then throw them out.
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