Advent I - 2016 - A Gift of Time

Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Mtt 24:42

Time is something we take for granted, ours to use at our discretion. But there in lies the problem. We do not create time; we are only the managers of time. Time is a gift given by God, for a purpose. As servants of the landowner, a portion of the “garden of time” is assigned to us, wherein to plant the works of holiness and reap an abundant harvest, as best we can. The gospels are rich in this imagery, given by Jesus in his parables, to help us to learn and understand the purpose of our existence in time. So, what kind of servant am I? Misguided: – increasingly, the shroud of secularism is spreading over the mind of this generation. With man at the centre, time is exclusively ours to do with as we please. There is no other to which we must account. Negligent: – those who have been informed with a conscience that teaches us of responsibility for what happens in our time. Yet tomorrow seems to be the time of choice. Selfish: – yes, but time is limited so me first. Wise: – every day is my last day. At what works will I be found engaged when he comes to call me? The First Sunday of Advent begins a new year of grace; a new year to study the gospels and the works of holiness; a new gift of time. What lies ahead is hidden. Only one thing is certain - we will be asked for an accounting of this time spent.

Earlier Post for the First Sunday of Advent

Advent 1 - 2013 Advent 1 - 2014

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