9781644135945

The Time After Pentecost
last came also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answering, said:
Amen I say to you, I know you not. Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor
the hour” (Mt 25:1 ff.).
“Walk ye circumspectly, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days
are evil. Wherefore, become not unwise, but understanding what is the will of God.” The Epistle
here has in mind an effective and practical understanding of the will of God, by virtue of which
we make use of every moment to carry out what God expects of us, and especially to bear the
burdens he sends us. That is true Christian wisdom.
Prayer
Graciously grant to Thy faithful, we beseech thee, O Lord, forgiveness and peace, that they
may be cleansed from all offenses and serve Thee with a quiet mind. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Wednesday
The Epistle admonishes us to be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The end is
drawing near. We may look upon our lifetime as a market from which we are to buy and carry
away all that we can for God and for our soul. We can easily misuse the time that is allotted to
us, or use it to the detriment of our own soul. “Wherefore, become not unwise.”
“Redeeming the time.” The years are hastening by. Before we realize it our allotted time will be
exhausted and we shall stand at the brink of the grave. Every day and every moment of the day
is given to us to be used for God, and thus to prepare for ourselves a happy eternity. Of all the
time that is given to us, we can be certain of only the present brief moment. And before we have
time to reflect on it, that moment is also gone. The past is gone forever and will never return. The
future does not yet belong to us, and perhaps it never will. And so we possess only the present
brief moment, and even this will be gone in an instant. Our whole eternity depends on whether
or not we make use of the present moment. We can lose it or let it pass by unused. We may even
make use of it for sin. But we can also make use of it to obtain precious graces. Death or life,
happiness or unhappiness, heaven or hell, depend on the use we make of the present moment.
Should we, then, not make use of every moment of the life that is given us, which may end at
any moment, for the purpose of gaining heaven? Can we afford to let a single minute pass by
unused? Do we dare give a single minute to living for this world or for sin? Should we not rather
strive zealously to gain all that can be gained for God and for our soul?
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord”
(Rom 14:8). We are Christians dedicated to God by virtue of our baptismal vows and perhaps
by religious profession. Our whole being, our bodies and souls, our gifts and talents, our health
and strength, belong to Him. Our time also belongs to Him. It is not we who have the right to
determine and decide how the days, hours, and minutes given to us are to be used, but He to
whom we are dedicated. He should determine the use of our free time and every moment of
our life. Only one thing is left to us to do: to seek to know at every moment of the day what God
desires of us, so that we may speak a ready fiat to all that He commands or desires. Since He is
the complete master of every moment of our life, it should be a matter of complete indifference
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