“Preparing for Holy Days or the Holidays”

"My, how time flies."  Yes, we are all saying it.  It's nearly Thanksgiving, then Christmas!  Why is it that we are always out of time?  With so many "time saving devices" and all of the great technology in our lives, why do we find ourselves with less time on our hands?

Well, our life is not what it was.  You and I have made choices, bought all of the "state of the art" materials and have actually remained the same people in many ways.  We are still very human, need to make good confessions, and while we might consider ourselves as more intelligent, you and I are still very limited in our temporal abilities.  Oh, and don't forget: we are all getting older! 

Yes, you and I still have only 24 hours a day in which to do what we "have to" do, and you and I still need rest, exercise, and a good diet (or our doctor's medical prescriptions).  Many things about our lives have really not changed while we would like to think that they have.

Well, then, what needs to change?  A lot!  All of which takes time.  Yes, precious time! 

All of the choices we have made, whether they be: going to school, getting married, having children, getting a new job, buying a home, charging our purchases, paying our bills, or taking that vacation, takes a lot out of us and very often we find that we have very little to give.  That is because we easily enjoy feeding our passions and chasing after our dreams.  We all have an insatiable appetite with what we believe we need or must have, want to, or have to do.  And what does God think about all of this?

Well, with Him nothing has really changed at all.  He is the “Alpha and the Omega,” the Beginning and the End (Rev. 21:6), “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 3:8), and with Him, “a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day” (2 Peter 3:8).  Can you imagine?  Can you even believe it?  Whether you or I do or don't, it is a fact.  We live in the frame of time and space and with God everything is an instantaneous now!  Wow!

"Life is too short," we say, and it's true.  However, our life can be lived with much more, if we give a little more thought about what God has in mind and seek to know just that (and a little less about what we think).  And that will also require another choice; a very important choice that leads to making better choices; choices that are based upon who we really are in God's sight and less upon who we think we are or who we are perceived to be in the sight of others.  For we are created in His image and likeness and born to be His sons and daughters, "a royal priesthood", "a holy nation” (2 Peter 2:9).  We must think more about God's personal calling on our lives, and less upon what we want or think that we need for ourselves. 

Now is the time and today is the day that you and I must begin to make God a priority; and our real preparation and participation in the Sacraments of His Kingdom a regular part of our lives.  This year, let's make the holiday season more meaningful.  Plan to buy that gift that someone really needs, or perhaps invest the time in doing those things that really matter to those we love.  Let's begin with where and Who it all began with in order that we may experience the fullness of His love and great mercy. 

May Christ’s presence fill our lives that we may experience the true joy of being sons and daughters of His Kingdom.

By The Very Reverend Timothy Baclig
(Posted on October 24, 2005)