Seasons and Time

Since the feast of the Ascension of Jesus, I have been reflecting on the notion of seasons and time. I see a clear connection between the seasons of the chronological year, the seasons of the Liturgical Year, the seasons of our human lives, and the "seasons of the heart"

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.

 A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. ( Ecc.3: 1-2)

Do you have time?  How often we say: "Where did the time go?" We "pass" time, "waste" time, "spend" time, "kill" time, but "we don't have time!"

"The butterfly counts not months, but moments, and has enough."------Tagore

Simone Weil wrote that the contemplation of time is the key to human life. We tend to see life as a race against time. The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit empower us to be channels of God's Grace to one another in all places where we worship and work, pray or play, live, move, and have our being. That is our true identity. When we look in the mirror we will see the face of God, because if we fail to find God in ourselves, we will not  see his presence in others.

When friends meet "under the clock", rather than race "against the clock" Grace happens. In the realms of Grace there is no need to ask: "What time is it?" Because a gentle, knowing, smiling Grace reminds us that in ancient times no one had a watch, but everyone had TIME. Now, everyone has a watch, but no one has any time.

As  we journey through the long season of Ordinary Time June 8- Nov. 29, I pray that you will treasure the gift of time, and "make" time to sit awhile with God, and enjoy his presence in your families and in all those you encounter, before time " runs out".

-Sister Celestine