| When I Think How I Have Used God’s Time, I Fear That He May Not Want to Give Me His Eternity |
,At our Living Jesus Chat Room this Sunday we will be talking about a letter written by Francis de Sales to “a Lady”, written from Annecy on 29 December 1609, taken from Selected Letters of St. Francis de Sales.To prepare for our chat, please read the article, which is reproduced below, and review the questions at the end.Click for Living Jesus Chatroom  Photo by Ben White on UnsplashAnd now, my very dear daughter, this past year is about to be swallowed up in the gulf which has devoured all the rest. O how desirable is eternity in exchange for this poor and passing state of uncertainty and change! May time pass on, time with which we ourselves gradually pass so as to be transformed into the glory of the children of God.This is the last time I shall be writing to you this year, my dear daughter. What blessings I wish for you, and how ardently! I cannot possibly express what I feel. Alas, when I think how I have used God’s time, I fear that he may not want to give me his eternity, since he only wants to bestow it on those who make good use of his time.It is three months since I last had a letter from you, but I believe that God is with you and that is enough for me. My only wish for you is that you should have God. I am writing to you without leisure, for my room is full of people who are clamoring for my attention; but my heart is solitary all the same and full of longing always to live for this holy love which is its whole aim and object.And during these holy feast days, at least, I have been seized by countless longings to give you the joy you so much want for my soul as well as for your own that of advancing swiftly in that state of holy perfection which is your aim and which you wish for me, while I in turn wish you the closest and highest union with God to be found here on earth.That is the only wish of him whom God has given you. Francis, Bishop of Geneva. Reflections: What is eternity? Is there no passage of time in heaven? Are we just frozen still?How can we make good use of our time here on earth?How can we not be too scrupulous about using our time on earth?Reflect on this: God’s plan for redemption was to come to this earth as a human, to offer His life, and to rise and conquer death. Yet, in the 33 years Jesus was on earth, 30 of them were seemingly hidden and unnoticed. Only 3 of those years were filled with active ministry.When another year, or even another day goes by, we often regret the passing of time. And yet, St. Francis says in the first paragraph, “May time pass on….” How can we better adopt his attitude?How can we embrace Advent and the Christmas season to help bring us the “closest and highest union with God”? Sign up for our Living Jesus Chat Room:Come to our Living Jesus Chat Room, 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM Eastern Time U.S. |