It’s hard to comprehend how fast time goes by. Can you believe we are already starting the fourth week of January 2024? Some of us will dwell on how quickly January passes, while others will think more about how fast the years go by. Remember the worries of Y2K when the year changed from 1999 to 2000? Can you believe that was 24 years ago?!
In today’s second reading, St. Paul says, “The time is running out…for the world in its present form is passing away.” Think about how the world has changed since Y2K. We depend so much on technology that we no longer have to memorize phone numbers. With Google, we no longer have to use encyclopedias to research anything or the dictionary to find a word’s spelling or meaning. Nowadays, many people prefer electronic documentation, seldom using pens and paper. How about self-driving cars? It is hard to comprehend that something like that actually exists!
No matter how old you are, we have all experienced these worldly changes in one way or another. We also know how quickly one’s life can change. As I write this article, news outlets are talking about the house explosion in Northfield Township, killing four family members, with the grandfather and grandson still in the hospital. Look how this sixteen-year-old young man’s life changed in an instant. He lost both his parents and his two siblings. How does one even start to comprehend what his life will be like–combined with a long recovery from his physical injuries? In addition, we cannot forget the questions and potential guilt that the grandfather may be experiencing.
We hear these types of stories all the time, but do we acknowledge that they could happen to us? Or do we go about our lives thinking they only happen to other people? Life is much easier with the latter mentality, but it is also unrealistic to ourselves and others.
“Time is running out. What do I need to change?”
First, I need to put more effort into my daily prayer life and listen to what the Lord says to me. I get bored easily and have become very lazy with my prayers. Although I still perform my morning prayers, they have become very ritualistic and stagnant, and, unfortunately, my evening prayers have become nonexistent. I know from experience, however, that a good prayer life helps me get through life’s challenges. I am a better person when I take the time to pray, and adopting this change will nourish my soul.
I also need to accept that interruptions are simply a part of life. As a planner, there are days when I have multiple things scheduled, only for a sudden phone call, text, or personal request to change my day frustratingly. When these events occur, I must remember that my and God’s plans are not always the same. Remembering that God is in control can be difficult, but his presence in a situation eases or, at least, deters my frustration.
For the people who know me, I tend to say, “Things will happen when they are supposed to happen.” While straightforward to tell others, I find it challenging to live by this statement concerning my own ambitions and desires. So, I must learn to forgive myself when I don’t accomplish things as planned. Again, once I put God in the picture, hopefully, forgiveness will follow.
I was fortunate to have various people in my life who helped me become a better person and a better Christian. On the Epiphany of the Lord, Fr. Chris explained in his homily that some people in our lives are similar to the guiding star that the magi followed to seek out Jesus, the newborn King. I need to take the time to connect with those special people to thank them for being my guiding stars and share my appreciation for their support. God put them in my life so I could become who I am today.
There are other changes I need to make in my life, but I know God still loves me despite all my imperfections. One final change, then, would be to stop judging others and accept their imperfections, just like God does for me.
May we all have the courage to make the necessary changes in our lives so we can experience the constant love of God as we live the year of the Lord, 2024.
– Elaine Rhein
