A Bob Dylan song goes: “He not busy being born, is busy dying.” What are you busy with? - Daily Reflections November 15,2015

SAVE OR DELETE?

 

There was a movie entitled In Time. It was about a future where time is the monetary currency used and aging stops at 25. The only way to live beyond 25 is to either earn, steal or inherit more time. A built-in “life expectancy timer” is transparent in the arms of people and they can see how much time they have left. Those who have much time left lived a life of deliberate relaxation and slow paced attitude. Those who have little time literally make every second count. I was reminded of Psalm 90:12 which says, “Teach us to number our days, O Lord, that we may gain wisdom of heart.”

       What does it mean “to number our days”? This means to track the direction our lives is treading. We Filipinos are known to ask those we bump into: “Where are you going?” or “Where have you been?” Other cultures see it as an invasion of privacy but the point of the phrase is not really to ask information. It is actually a form of a greeting and recognition. And better yet, it can be an unconscious reminder of the need to constantly remind ourselves of who we are: Saan ba tayo galing at saan ba tayo patutungo? (Where did we come from and where are we going?) Our faith teaches us that we came from God and to God we are to return. Is that your life’s spiritual trajectory right now?

       Where we came from is a given — that we cannot change. Where we are going is properly our responsibility.

       As I type this reflection, my attention was turned to the “Save” button. Everything is retained when I hit the “Save” button.  That’s a good metaphor for life for numbering our days. Every little thing we do is saved in the Divine memory (see especially Matthew 25:40,45). And what is saved in the Divine memory will determine whether we will be saved or deleted in the company of the blessed. Let that company of the blessed be our common desire and destination! Fr. Joel Jason

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: A Bob Dylan song goes: “He not busy being born, is busy dying.” What are you busy with?

 

Let the end for me not be a termination, O Lord, but a recognition. Amen.