THE TWO SEASONS IN A TIME

 Reflection for Friday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-11; Lk 9:18-22)

It is a popular and common saying that ‘there is time for everything.’ Today’s meditation is about ‘Time.’ According to the wise man in the first reading, God beautified the earth with times and seasons come and go, ushering in something new and rendering others old. There are good times and bad times; time to be born and time to die, etc. While we embrace the good times, and look forward to better days, we must not forget that the tough days will soon unfold. This is wisdom and an amour of faith if we constantly remind ourselves of the ‘two times and seasons.’

Many are frustrated and depressed today because they planned their lives only in one season of joy, success, health, etc, without a look out on the other season that is ‘hidden’ in nature. Then, the sudden dawn of the ‘unexpected season’ knocks them off their feet, hope dies and depression sets in. The wise man says God has made everything beautiful in its time. “Also, He has put eternity into man’s mind...” Our aspirations can be high as the heavens, yet we cannot determine what the ticking of time is ushering in.

But God has taken his abode in our time; each moment of time is now sanctified and empowered to unfold salvation. Times and seasons now revolve around Christ Jesus for our salvation. In the Gospel of today, while Peter identified Jesus as “The Christ of God”, Jesus commanded them not to publicize His real identity until the appointed time, which was the time of His Cross and resurrection. Thus, from the Risen Christ, a ‘new time’ is revealed! Now, all times and seasons belong to Him; all our good times flow from Him, and bad times are resolved in Him.

Therefore, in solemn silence we connect our times and seasons to the Hour of Jesus (Jn 12:23). Though the movement of time may usher in good or bad, but our ‘life-time’ with which we live flows from Jesus. Hence, our time of birth and our time of death, our time of sowing and our time of harvesting, etc, are now a single time, i.e. the time of Jesus. Jesus is all in all (Col 3:11), He is Lord of life and death, sickness and health, poverty and sickness. Yes, ‘There is time for everything’ because we put Jesus in everything. Let this be your watch word today. Have a blessed day.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Friday September 25^th, 2020.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com