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We live in a reality where we are caught between the eternal and the temporal. We live
lives within the temporal: we mark the years, seasons, and feasts, and yet, we look to
the eternal “and the life of the age to come.”
At times, because we live in this tension, we lose sight of the blessings that come with
each “type” of time. We may also miss out on how the two types of time compliment
one another within the Christian life.
Living in the now
Time flies without us noticing! What practices do you use to mark chronological time
passing? How have you found this practice to be beneficial?
Describe a period in your life where you wish you had been more more aware of time
passing.
We must be intentional about living in the present moment. How can we use the
beginning of this new school year to more intentionally live in the present and treat our
time as a sacred gift?
Living in light of eternity
God offers us windows into the eternal; glimpses at the coming age through the work
and prayers of the Church. How do we prepare for the eternal? What practices have you
found helpful to make the most of these “eternal” events.
Who among us doesn’t get distracted with the temporal when we’re supposed to be
focused on the eternal? Physically we’re in liturgy, but our mind is with our assignments,
our to-dos, our problems, our plans. Why is this the case? How can we combat this?
Time meets the eternal
Christ comes to meet each one of us at the intersection of the temporal and the eternal.
As temporal beings, we are transported during the Divine Liturgy to the eternal Liturgy
partaken of by all the saints. Sadly, once we walk out of Liturgy, we tend to leave this
behind and return to our “normal lives.”
Why is that? What has been your experience in the past?
What can we each do to change that? How can we live more of our lives at the meeting
point between the temporal and the eternal?
Why is this meeting point important? Will this make any real difference in our lives?
