Time a transit to eternity

WE need to be clear about this point. Our time here on earth

is a time of transit toward eternity, from where we came and to where

we are heading. That’s because we are creatures of God who is in

eternity. We came from him, and since we have been made in his image

and likeness, we are meant to be with him in all eternity.

          Our definitive state of life is to be with God in eternity.

We therefore need to be eternity-ready in our time here on earth. And

we can approximate that state of life and prepare ourselves for it by

trying to be with God always, following his will and ways as we go

through the drama of our earthly life.

          We should know how to flow with the times without getting

lost along the way. While there are changing things as we flow with

the times, we also have to know that there are things that are not

supposed to change, that will always have permanent value and

relevance to us.

          While time is a continuum of the past, the present and the

future, we have to see to it that it is meant to catapult us to

eternity when everything will be in the present. Eternity is a

mysterious state of life when there is no more past or future, no more

change, no more transition.

          In eternity, everything would be in the present, not in a

stationary way but rather in a dynamic way. There is motion and

dynamism as is characteristic of life, but there is no more change.

Its stability is not a matter of idleness and non-activity.

          To the extent that we manage to be with God and go along his

will and ways, we would be relating our time here on earth to the

eternity meant for us. We therefore should avoid being carried away

and swallowed by the technicalities of our earthly life, no matter

important they are. They should serve only as means and occasion to be

with God in love.

          It does not mean that we should not take our worldly and

temporal affairs seriously. On the contrary, we have to put all our

mind and heart into them since the way we handle them determines the

kind of eternal destiny that we will have. They are no joking matter

at all. We are asked to be fruitful and productive in this life, but

with the proper motive and intention.

          For this, we have to continually check if our spiritual and

supernatural bearing is still functioning. When driven by faith, hope

and charity, we can manage to convert our worldly and temporal affairs

as occasions and means to love and serve God and others.

          This may require a certain discipline that we have to learn

as early as possible and to polish it frequently, given our condition

that is vulnerable to the allurements of the world and of the flesh.

          We have to remember that time is short. (cfr. 1 Cor 7,29) We

cannot afford to waste time which is a most precious resource we have

in fulfilling the ultimate goal of our life.

          We need to manage our time well, seeing to it that whatever

we do or whatever situation and condition we find ourselves in, we

have to be sure that our time is spent in such a way it would bring us

to our eternal destiny.

          Time management is not only for some engineering projects.

We need time management in our personal lives as well, and especially

in our spiritual lives, that is, in our life of love with God and with

everybody else.

          For this, we have to be clear about the real purpose of our

life and of how each event, condition and circumstance in our life can

be related to that ultimate goal of ours. This is an indispensable

skill we have to develop and help everybody else to also acquire for

themselves.