When did time begin?” I asked this New York lawyer who ought to know many things but after a long pause he answered: “Hasn’t it always been there?” No, time did not always exist but it began with a very specific act, a sinful act by a woman and a man in a garden. Prior to that sin man and woman enjoyed the privilege of immortality. Now we need some of the lost infused knowledge to enter into the mystery of today’s Gospel story. “A little while and you shall not see Me and again a little while and you shall see Me. I go to the Father.” A little while is a time reference that caused the apostles to ask what does this mean.
At first count the times this “a little while” is repeated. It is the significant and perfect number of seven. Repetitions in scripture are the Holy Ghost’s means of pointing out something significant. Let us ask the same question which bothered the apostles: “What is this that He saith a little while? We know not what he speaketh.” We can say from our perspective that the little while refers to His death and His burial = three days. Again a little while and the apostles will see Him after His resurrection. Certainly this is a true application of the phrase but there is something more to it.
Turning to the Holy Ghost and praying to our Lady for the truth we learn that our Lord is a divine pattern whereby you and I discover the movements of our lives in relation to
God. Jesus picks up the thread of Divine Providence from the Jewish nation whose history bears witness to the very life of Jesus. Now Jesus’ life bears witness to each of us of the life that we shall live through our baptism. In baptism we are “incorporated” into the Mystical Body of Jesus. This means we are going to live eternally in Him Who came into our Flesh to reveal the pattern leading to the Father.
In this passing world we are coming to recognize the truth that all of our lives are wrapped up in the one life of Jesus. In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts). So this little while refers to our life in Jesus. We exist in this world for the glory of God and the salvation of our souls. Our time here is just “a little while” which ought to take us back to the Father as His sons and daughters.
We fool ourselves in thinking that we are separated from God but we will come to know as we are known but only in a little while. Our passing life is fixated upon the eternal
life which empties us of self and fills us with the person of Jesus through our confessions and holy communions. He dominates our little while and proves to us that of ourselves we can do nothing but in Him all things are not only possible but also most probable.
Consider the lives of the apostles, the saints, our Lady. Each of them found the fullness of life when they lost themselves and accepted the life of Jesus within themselves. Matthew was a tax collector who came to Jesus and cast the occupation from his being. Peter was a professional fisherman but was transformed by Jesus into the “rock upon which I will build my Church.” It takes only “a little while” to leave yourself behind and pick up the cross of daily sacrifice for the love of Jesus.
Our lives are but “a little while” in this world but in Him we live forever. Everything we suffer in this world means nothing and only lasts a “little while.” From now on take the
eternal perspective and you can handle any test that this world, the flesh or the devil throws at you. Hide in the mantel of your mother and you will conquer all the temptations of the world around you. Then one day you and I will be together for a “long while” in the hearts of Jesus and Mary.
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Richard Voigt
Comments are closed.