Time

We are almost coming to a close of the first week of this brand new year. Much of the dust would have already been settled from the countdown parties and perhaps, most of us are trying to get started in fulfilling those new years’ resolutions. I am not going to touch on new years’ resolutions on this entry but what we normally physically or spiritually participate in , at the eve of most festivities – the very notion of ‘counting down’ time.

While it maybe exciting for some to be part of the hype and participate in these sort of countdown party events, most of us tend to overlook or consciously avoid thinking about that personal countdown to the end of our lives. We can never be certain waking up to a brand new day not to even mention living out 20 more years.

Reflecting upon this, I think it’s crucial for individuals to live each day like the last in order to fulfill that personal ‘bucket list of things’- whatever that maybe for you. In Rev Fr Pat’s Christmas Midnight Mass homily, he mentioned that the best gift that anyone can give to another person is his/her presence and companion, in short, to spend time and BE with that someone – and likewise with God. Who would you want to spend time with most? What are you going to make time for ?

I used to think that physical distances and boundaries ( ie between Chicago and Tokyo ) and death separates one being from another. I recently realized that it was just time. Whenever you’re planning to meet someone, it is the time that you need to take to travel to get to the location of your friend that separates the two of you. When your dear one has passed on, it is also time which separates the two of you for the simple reason that your time isn’t up yet. You might have already realized or will eventually come to know that it is also time that separates an individual from his/her personal goals and aspirations. Think of the time you spent accumulating credits to see you through that graduation ceremony. The time you spent slogging hard to get to that job promotion. The time needed to service an apartment loan.

Time separates but yet we can be assured that it binds the whole of humanity together. It is through the universal timeline that the historical, present and future events are interconnected. It is vital to note that what we do today could possibly impact future generations. We are all stewards of our personal time and thus are responsible for making good use of it for the purpose of a greater good. For it is also through this passage we call time, that we will have to arrive at that common place and eventually meet our maker.