Despite my brave words last week, I have hardly practiced at all this week, and have made no progress whatsoever with my Gradus ad Parnassum, and next week (though good in other ways) will be no better. One would think that, in the summer, I would have all sorts of time for such endeavors. Not this week.
"I don't have time" is, however, not a valid excuse, though I say it often enough to myself and others. The limits to our time are one of God's more subtle gifts; they force us to make choices. That, in turn, demonstrates what is important to us. If you will, God "puts us to the test" in this manner, to see how we will use the time He gives us.
Were our time unlimited, we would fritter it away. Look at the people who have large amounts of leisure; they are rarely the people who make a difference in the world. Instead of doing worthwhile acts of charity and service, they spend the day at the golf course, or the spa, or the shopping mall, or the coffee shop, or the casino, or they head out on a Caribbean cruise, or trip to China. Once there, they find it no different than the place from which they came.
If we cannot do much in an active way, we can still brighten the lives of those around us. I see this in the assisted living center where my Mother lives, and in the prison where I volunteer; some people make other's lives a little better, others don't. Or we can devote ourselves to holy contemplation. This makes a difference not only in the immediate surroundings, but in the universe, aligning it more perfectly with its Maker and Redeemer. If, through infirmity of body or mind, we cannot do even this, "they also serve who only stand and wait."
We do not have unlimited time, and that is a good thing: "Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." There is an intimate connection between our finitude and our blessed hope of everlasting life. Not an infinite amount of time as we have it here; that would be a curse, not a blessing. Rather, it is something entirely different, something we can hardly yet imagine. The Holy Father, Benedict XVI, explores this at length in his fine encyclical letter Spe Salvi, "On Christian Hope."
But my time is limited (!!!!) and I can say no more for now.
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Two old fellows sang the National Anthem at Matins this morning, a song which is unimaginable in any larger setting in this parish. But we sang it anyway, in the only venue where we could, and added some prayers for the nation. And downstairs in the larger church service, we sang the other National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." That was well-done, and entirely fitting.
Nations, like individuals, do not have unlimited time. Ours has been given a large and good land, strong and noble leadership in our early days -- compare the early history of the United States with that of Haiti -- and a diverse and intelligent people. At the Day of Doom, we will be called to account for what we have done with these things in the time allotted to us.
May God grant us repentance and amendment of life, and may He bless and preserve the United States of America.
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