What does time mean to you? We all understand Websters definition that it is “the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues: duration,” but what does it mean to you? To think of it simply as a linear measure of moments from one event to the next overlooks how important time is spent with people we love. The minutes we spend simply having a cup of coffee with someone we love, sitting on freezing bleachers, or just being there, is time we will never regret spending.

Lent is the time for reflection and provides us with an opportunity to examine where we are in life and how we spend the minutes we are given to be people of God. March is the month when Catholics celebrate St. Joseph and I reflect on the man who was responsible for raising Jesus. Was Joseph too busy to spend time with his adopted son or is it the influence of a good father that made our Savior the man He became? Joseph must have had Jesus with him in his shop building and creating things, guiding the boy to become the man, and preparing Him to take on the duties of His Heavenly Father. Jesus spent those formative years with His earthly father becoming a loving and caring person. His divinity is without question, but seeing Joseph sitting in the bleachers made Him the man He became and helped Him understand the value of being there for each other. Martha and Mary were upset that Jesus did not take the time to be there for their brother, but they soon discovered that the time with Lazarus was not yet over.

We have a limited amount of time to create relationships and to nurture them, so do not waste that time with anger and hatred and viewing others, even family, as not deserving of our time. During Lent, I reflect on my failings and many flaws and use this opportunity to remind myself that we are all in this together.

We can look at time as cruel because it moves so quickly, and we never seem to have enough or maybe see it as minutes spent with those we love making precious memories.  Time also offers us the opportunity to create new relationships even if only for a few minutes. God gives us so many opportunities to make a difference, and often it takes only minutes of our day.  A smile when one is needed, a hand when someone simply needs help getting up. Time is fleeting but the actions we take in those minutes can last forever.

Do not waste the time you are given to be a loving and caring person because while this time is short eternity is a different story.

God Bless.

Andrej N. Lah