Spiritual reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
Allocutio:
I experienced 2 deaths in a short period of 3 months when I was away in Indonesia. I was reminded again that we do not know how much time we have. Unlike money which can be quantified exactly and thus can be planned, budgeted in order to use money wisely: a time to be frugal, a time to spend a big sum; time cannot be quantified exactly and is limited; and thus the only way to use it wisely is to use it wisely every day. Ironically, the limited nature of time makes it valuable. Basis principle of economy says that scarcity equals to value, the more scarce a resource is, the more valuable it is.
Time is valuable not just because it is limited, but it is also valuable because it is a gift from God, entrusted to us, as we are created into the confines of time and space. Because it is a gift, it can be taken from us at any time that God sees fitting, and in the end, we must be accountable to God about what we do with our God-given time.
After reflecting on my recent internship experience, I would like to suggest the analogy that the time that God gives us in this earthly life is like an internship before a full-time offer in heaven. Whatever we do with this time on earth can give an indication on how wisely do we spend eternal time in heaven. If we perform well, it is a good chance that we will perform well too in eternal time; if we perform badly, we might not get that eternal full-time offer. However, we need not worry because we have an internship supervisor (aka God) who is very good and loving, and always wants us to succeed in our time on earth. He gave us some tools and guidance on how to do well in this limited time on earth:
- St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises invites the retreatants to reflect on death: imagine yourself at your deathbed, and think about what eulogies do you want other people to say about yourself? It is a way of beginning with the end in mind which will help to shape our daily living
- Since time is a gift from God, time has something to offer us. God sews in hidden messages in time as clues to guide our earthly life. If only we can read the signs of times and discern the events that has been happening in our lives. We should take a step back/retreat, review our life prayerfully, notice patterns, and the calling for next steps.
- Fr Agus (my SD, 2 years ago) was a legionary, visited 2 patients with a friend, one became a priest and one became a religious brother. Reminds me of how a simple act could have great impacts
- Visited Alex Nyew (Mar 2017) in Ng Teng Fong: felt loved more than I gave love. It is a time where I felt lonely and I felt God’s company after the visit, had a long conversation and returning from the hospital, I remembered a verse from Luke 24:32, “Were not our hearts burning within us, while he talk to us on the road?”
- 1stSenatus meeting: inspired by a small praesidium who did lots of hospital visitation
- Summer holiday: 2 deaths in 3 months, I also accompanied my grandma to see a doctor because of her fall
- Gary at welcome tea sharing about WSC’s hospital visitation and the required training/interview
- Time is meant to be enjoyed. “I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; also that it is God’s gift to man that every one should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13). God wants us to enjoy our time on earth. Going back to the internship analogy, If we cannot enjoy our limited time here on earth, what makes us think that we can enjoy eternal life in heaven.
After reflecting on some of experiences, I feel that the Legion of Mary in NTU is called to do hospital visitations as one of our apostolic works. It is a new venture that we could embark on and it is the “first work the Legion ever undertook and for a while it did no other. It teemed with blessings for the infant organisation, and the Legion desires that this work will ever be attended to by its praesidia.” (HB pg 236) Follow me on how do I come to this call by reading the signs of time:
Perhaps, this calling could be verified by your own life experience and reading of the signs of times
The more joyful we are, the closer we are to heaven. Verified by a simple mathematical equation: time = 1/joy. As joy approaches infinity, time approaches zero, back to the beginning. John 1:1 – in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word is God. At t=0, we return to meet God face-to-face in heaven, where we will have infinite joy.