December 24, 2024 
by Fr. Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor
We are fascinated by magic and the prospect of traveling through time. The idea of being able to reverse course and travel back in history intrigues our human spirit. Getting a glimpse of a childhood memory, seeing our parents again or going back to generations before us are all things we would love to experience. We would like, at least, one re-do, to have “five more minutes,” a second chance to right a wrong, to choose a different course, to take back a hurtful word. “If I knew then what I know now” is a phrase found on all of our lips.
We cannot change the past and we cannot predict the future. We have the time we have, the way we have it and cannot exchange it for another. It is our time. Stories cannot be re-written. We must accept the past for what it is…good or bad…it brought us to today and made us who we are.
Jesus was born in time, his time, though he was with God before time. The one who came into our world both made time itself and is beyond it. Jesus is the eternal NOW, where the timed moments of our existence meet the eternal timelessness of God. We all have tasks to do within the time we are given. We all have a role to play. Believer or non-believer, we cannot undo or ignore the legacy that followed the blessed Birth of the Son of God. Neither can our own legacies be undone. Jesus changed the world. We leave an impression on the world. That is fact.
The past, however, must be left to the past, and the future is there to be welcomed, moment by moment. Each second that follows from the moment of NOW is a blessed opportunity to touch God’s timeless eternity. It is a welcomed moment of opportunity to change course and discover new possibilities, to do today what we could not do yesterday. Jesus, born as one like us, has blessed us and every moment of our lives. We can greet change with confidence and meet challenges with courage. God is with us…moment by moment. He still changes the world. He changes us.
Do not waste or squander the little time you have. Worry less about not having enough of it and use what you have wisely, as the holy gift it is. Time flies and the last moment of our earthly lives will be here before we know it, in a flash. Then, it is only our soul that can journey on…a soul fashioned by the holy and graced moments it met along the way.
Time is a precious gift. It is the best gift we can receive and the most perfect gift we can give. Time needs no words. It just requires that we show up, be present and be attentive without distraction…to delve into the present moment, relish its beauty and celebrate its joy. With every moment that passes, Jesus is born again…present in time, through time, yet beyond time.
Be present to those you love, to the moments of your life, to the surprises God has in store for you. God is still changing you. Live the moments of today and welcome tomorrow, with the joys and challenges, and the blessings Christmas brings. Merry Christmas!
Fr. Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor
SS. Isidore and Maria Parish
Glastonbury, Connecticut
December 25, 2024
