Friday - Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every thing under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What advantage has the worker from his toil? I have considered the task that God has appointed for the sons of men to be busied about. He has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts, without man’s ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done. Just as yesterdays passage from Ecclesiastes explored the question of things that change and things do not change, today we have a continuation of that theme as it pertains to everyday life. We hear of an appointed time for all things to happen. The idea of an appointed time hints at another timeless question, Do we have free will or are all things predestined? This question is complex and deep, impossible to completely flesh out in the space of a short reflection. Nevertheless, just as yesterdays reflection pointed to the great Catholic both and in regard to change and unchangeability, todays question has a similar resolution: God both predestines and allows from freedom. What do I mean by this? As Catholics, we hold to what is called single predestination, meaning that God created us for enteral glory and destines us, through Grace, to eternal glory. This process is accomplished through the efficacious Grace given by God, primarily through the Sacraments, flowing from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, God also allows for human freedom in that we are then called to cooperate with that Grace in a life of holiness. Therefore, one can forfeit the gift given by God through misuse of ones free will. Therefore, true freedom emerges not as being able to do whatever we want, but rather true freedom is choosing the greatest good and, in that process, discovering who we are to become as children of God. If we apply this principle to our reading, we can see that God allows for many things in our lives: existence, birth, death, healing, growth, joy, sorrow, and so forth. Amid these life experiences rest the deep questions of life and lifes meaning. In those moments, we can be wrapped with a deep sense of Gods providential love guiding us, as if it were Gods actions and not our own that are leading us. Nevertheless, there are also times of great pain and confusion when we can question where God is in our lives, struggling to see how God can have any part of our lives at all. At the center of the hurricane of experiences and emotions rests core beliefs that are eluded to in todays reading: God has made everything - there is a time for everything - some of those things clearly show Gods will - others are confusing and seem to be far from God - it is a mystery we cannot fully grasp - but we have faith that, ultimately, Gods work is being accomplished in us and through us. Spiritual exercise: Where would you fit in this list of life experiences presented to us in Ecclesiastes? Pray through this text and whether you find yourself very close to God or struggling with where God is in your life, pray for a deepening of your confidence that God is with you and is accomplishing great things in and through you through the love of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. This reflection begs the question - Why is there suffering in the world? Here is a clip of Fr. Barron exploring one of the deepest questions of life - Why is there suffering in the world. Enjoy.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:48:25 +0000
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