September 22, 2022 – Friday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092322.cfm)

We could easily lose track of time when we are overwhelmed by our workloads, business engagements, study loads and many other responsibilities in life. This makes our day tiring, stressful and hectic to the point that time has become so short in order to respond to all the things we have on our hands. And when we cannot meet all the demands, then, we also lose ourselves. We get sick psychologically and physically. Relationships tend to be left behind and not given more importance.

Aside from these, people also lose time from hiding from their unfounded fears because our anxieties could eat up most of our time to think and discern. Others are perhaps petrified by their traumatic past unable to move and go beyond and losing the opportunity to grow and mature. Meanwhile, others could be busy in indulging themselves in compensating what have been deprived from them in the past to the point that their self-satisfaction is what only matters. All of these would certainly make our life unbalanced and our time disturbed and losing many chances to take life at a time.

Indeed, there is an appointed time for everything, as the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes tells us. An appointed time that would allow us to breathe, to relax, to begin, to be renewed and to be surprised by the many things that God has prepared in time.

When we race against time or even take for granted time, then, we shall surely miss those surprising and wonderful things that are happening around us. We shall also lose the chances to behold the beauty and the goodness of people around us.

That is why, Jesus in today’s Gospel teaches us a simple lesson. The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus was praying in solitude while the disciples were with him. His friends were there, but Jesus was in solitude, meaning, he was praying alone. We see from here that Jesus took the time to rest, relax, to gather his mind, to pray and to commune with his Father in heaven. Jesus was setting the example to his disciples to have a time for everything and especially a time to pray and a time to behold God’s presence.

Indeed, such time and encounter allowed Peter to recognize that Jesus is the “Christ of God.” Peter in that opportune time understood that God has revealed the Divine Presence to him.

This calls us now as well to have time for everything and to allow ourselves to have a quality time with the Lord. In the midst of our overwhelming demands in life, or in the midst of the chaos and internal conflicts we are suffering from, we may find time for Jesus to reveal his challenges and blessings to us. Find time to breathe. Find time to rest. Find time to pray. Find time for Jesus. Kabay pa.