Time

“It is the eternal, timeless God who gives meaning to time by imbuing it with holiness and incorporating time into eternity…Time was created by God and so was meant to be good. God placed in creation mechanisms which can help measure time and seasons – the earth’s revolving around its axis determines night and day as well as times such as noon or midnight, the phases of the moon mark the weeks and seasons, the earth’s orbit of the sun marks years….Human beings are created to experience some days as sanctified, some as ordinary, as we live within time….The passing of time marks beginnings and ends as well as giving us a hint of eternity. We modern people with our precise clocks pay a lot more attention to minutes and seconds than the ancients ever did.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh, Orthodox Study Bible, Wisdom of Sirach 33:7-9)

“We understand that Christ’s saving acts are timeless, for during the liturgy we specifically “remember” the Lord’s “saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection on the Third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Session at the right hand and the second and glorious Advent.” This particular prayer is known as the anamnesis, roughly equivalent to the English word “remembrance.” The latter term, however, does not convey how Christ’s acts are immediately effective and redemptive. They are not merely past incidents to be called to mind, but the eternal God in action now. As a result, we participate in them directly. This explains why we say that we “remember” an event that, from an earthly perspective, still lies in the future: the second and glorious Advent, or Second Coming.” (Dynamis 10/8/2021)

“…Christians find themselves suspended in the “already” and the “not yet,” with one foot in the present age and another foot in the coming age that Christ has already inaugurated. This dual identity makes it reasonable for Christians to expect a certain element of tension in the middle space between these two realities (that is, between Christ’s inaugurated Kingdom and its final consummation).” (Robin Phillips)

“The time of our life receives value and meaning not according to the number of our years, but according to the measure in which we make good use of it in depth. If you noticed, in the readings for the feast of Holy Fathers, it is said that the truly honorable old age depends on whether man lives with integrity and has a pure life…Though we are not called to “live in the past,” we are most surely called to understand that the past lives in us. The fullness of existence is not measured by the intensity of the single point that is our own private moment, rather it is measured by the extension of our being to encompass the world around us, both in the present and as the present gathers the past into itself.” (Archimandrite Peter, Father Stephen Freeman)

“The Spirit is the divine giver of both life and light. When we follow the leadership of the Spirit of wisdom, truth, and understanding throughout each day, we bear the fruits of the Spirit. And these fruits of goodness, righteousness, and truth make good use of that day for the Glory of God and sharing of His love. Thus, when we live in the light of the Spirit, we truly “redeem” and save our time from loss.” (Fr. Basil)

“The…Divine Liturgy…includes the following phrase which is a stumbling block for common sense: “remembering then this saving commandment, the Cross, the tomb, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand and the second and glorious coming again, offering to Thee Thine own of Thine own, we hymn Thee,” etc. To remember past events (the Cross, the Resurrection etc.) is “natural.” But to “remember” something that has not yet happened (the Second Coming) cannot be explained unless it is transferred to an existential plane on which the fragmentation and necessary sequence of the three elements of time (past, present and future) have been healed. This is precisely what happens in the Kingdom of God.” (Metropolitan John Zizioulas)

“None of us can comprehend what it means to “remember the future.”…time in our experience since the Fall, is fragmentary, and is…divided into past, present and future, in a sequence which cannot naturally be reversed because of death, which has entered the world with the fall of man. Thus the future naturally comes after the past and present, making it meaningless to “remember” it. But what happens in a time which is freed from this fragmentation because death has been abolished? In such a case, the future is not separated from the past and the present. If indeed the future is that which gives meaning both to the past and to the present, it is then transformed into a source from which both equally draw their substance. The future acquires “substance” (Hebrews 11: 1) and can be “anticipated” so as to become part of our memory. Thus, it is possible to talk about remembrance of the future…we live simultaneously in time and beyond time.” ((Metropolitan John Zizioulas, Dynamis 5/7/2022)

“Modernity is in love…with a certain version of time. That version goes under the heading of the “future” and is married to notions of “progress,” “change,” “advancement,” and the like. It is inherently a version of time that appeals to those who are young, in that it privileges the future with promises of dreams and possibilities. Whatever troubles the present can be fixed (we are told). The future is everything. It also has the advantage of not existing – it has no track record to defend. Whatever we may think of the past, be it blame or praise, it can make the singular claim to have actually happened. The past not only took place but cumulatively is gathered in what we experience as the present. As William Faulkner famously noted, “The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“ “Now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). The offer of God’s favor is now. The time of salvation is this very moment. God’s mercy is everlasting, but the opportunity to accept it is always in the present…We can say, “tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.” But when tomorrow never comes then what use is the message of our redemption in Christ.” (Dynamis 10/10/2021)

“If we are going to find the healing of our souls, we will have to begin with our lives as they are now. To wait until all is perfectly in order and we have time, energy, and resources to spare is to fall prey to an illusion, for life in this world will never be without its grave challenges. It is nothing but an excuse to say that we will unite ourselves to Christ in holiness at a more convenient time in the future. He did not come to enhance the spirituality of those who were completely at ease. No, the Savior came to heal the sick, call sinners to repentance, and raise the dead. He came to comfort those who mourn and to bless those who hunger and thirst for a righteousness that they could never give themselves.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)

“People feel unhappy and they don't know why. They feel that something is wrong, but they can't put their finger on what...They have everything, yet they want more. And when they get more, they are still left ...dissatisfied. They want happiness and peace, but nothing seems to bring it. They want fulfillment, but it never seems to come. Everything is fine, and yet everything is wrong...It is covered over by frantic activity, and endless running around.... It is drowned out by television programs and video games. But when the movement stops, and the power is turned off, and everything is quiet ... then the dread sets in, and the meaninglessness of it all and the boredom and the fear. Why is this so? Because the Church tells us that we are really not at home. We are alienated and estranged from our true country. We are not with God in the land of the living. We are spiritually sick, and some of us are already dead [spiritually].” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)

“A certain individual visiting America a few years ago remarked: "America is now under going the trial of abundance." Our frantic pursuit of earthly goods risks to kill in us all hope in an after life and all belief in spiritual realities. A sufficient amount of earthly goods is necessary to the ordinary man to live virtuously but their pursuit must never become an end in itself. Slowly and surely, we in North America are slipping into a life of comfort and luxury. We are becoming the slaves of modern inventions. Those who do not possess the latest of everything are bitter because they cannot have what they don't really need. We have swallowed the "big lie" of TV commercials which would have us believe that we cannot live happily without…some such nonsense.” (Fr. Theodore E. Ziton)

“The frenzied, neurotic tempo of modern-day life makes it difficult to find calm and peace for tired, worn-out souls. It carries away everyone, making them feel as if they are merely some kind of pitiful, weak-willed cogs in the gigantic mechanism of modern life, which has lost the Christian spirit of freedom.” (Archbishop Averky (Taushev))

“The virtues of a “larger” life – love, patience, kindness, humility and gratitude – are, I think, consistent with a slower life. We frequently “rush” about in our world in order to meet the demands of an unforgiving market, or simply to keep pace with the madness that surrounds us. I should note that, although a larger existence is inherently more conservative (being cognizant of the past) it is also patient and kind. The present so-called “culture wars,” regardless of whether the voices are from the Left or the Right, are anxious and shrill, driven by their own inherent insecurity (and the inherent insecurity of modernity itself). Those who live a larger, deeper existence, understand that the past cannot be destroyed. It abides. That which is good within it abides, even if it is interrupted for a season of madness. It abides because that which is good in it is also that which is true. The truth wins out over time because it is true. It is its own argument. The momentary conflicts of our politicized social life cannot give us truth – only the ascendancy of a few minutes. Slow down. Live long and deep. Drink from the wells God has dug for us.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“No matter how busy or distracting our lives may be, we may pray to God from our hearts and read the Scriptures daily. If we do not make doing so a priority, then we will end up putting the world before God without even noticing it. We must unite  ourselves to Him in obedient love each day as we keep His commandments, not out of legalism, but because we want to share more fully in His life.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)

“Why does Paul call the day in which we live “evil”? [Ephesians 5:16]…The Greek term evil refers to the effect or influence of wickedness or malice on something or someone. But note that does not describe the essential character of what it affects…what we call “evil” belongs to whatever we describe. For instance, the evil of the body is disease, whereas the evil of the soul is wickedness. But then what is the “evil of the day”?... it is not the day itself. “It is not the essence of the thing, not the things as so created, but it is the things transacted in them.” Thus, the events of the day that come from God are good. But the events  that “bad men” perform are “evil.” To the extent that the works of “bad men” prevail, the days are “evil.” This analysis opens a possibility that we perhaps overlook in our hopelessness. We can “redeem” the time. The word redeem means to rescue to “buy back” as a slave is brought from slavery…Thus it means to save from loss. To “redeem the time” means that though evil men make evil out of the day, we can make good of the same span of morning and evening.” (Fr. Basil, St. John Chrysostom)

“See then that you walk circumspectly” (Ephesians 5:15). In turning away from the old life to the new way that God illumines before us, we need to walk prudently and mindfully. “[Redeem] the time” (vs. 16), for our moments on earth fly past and life is brief. We reject the evils of this world and embrace the gift of the Holy Spirit, glorifying God.” (Dynamis 6/21/2021)

“To “redeem” the time is, first, not to “waste time,” especially on what is superfluous. More positively, it could mean to spend our time in worthwhile pursuits, seeking to do the good in all of life’s various circumstances. We are children of God at all times, not only when we are in church or before the icons in our domestic prayer corner. How we live and how we interact with others is basically how we express our Christian faith on a daily basis. On a deeper level, to “redeem the time” could also mean to sanctify time, both remembering and honoring the fact that the full expanse of our lives—our “lifetime”—is a gift from God, for as humans our lives unfold within the time of this world as created by God. Our time is limited because our lives are of finite duration. An awareness of this can go a long way in how we appreciate—and therefore “redeem”—the time.” (Fr. Stephen Kostoff)

“C. S. Lewis makes a profound point about time. He says that we usually regard time as our own. We start our day with the curious assumption that we are the lawful possessors of an upcoming twenty-four hours. With that hazardous assumption we then plot a matrix for our day, filling in time slots with tasks or restful moments. We might hope that we are managing our time in a way that will somehow please God. But when we begin with the assumption that time is ours, inconveniences and unexpected interruptions become intrusions into “my time.” By contrast, we can begin with the assertion that time is not our own. Time belongs to the Lord and He has a plan for time that He desires us to accept for our own peace and joy.” (Albert Rossi, PhD and Julia Wickes, MA)

“Let us note the many ways God moves in His disciples’ lives, for our Lord is active in every aspect of our own life. He may act through a conflict we are now facing, or a persecution we must endure for Christ, or an exile we must endure far from our homeland or family of origin. During our travels and while we are at home, in formal interviews and small talk, in planned meetings and chance encounters, God works on our dispositions and understanding. Nothing in this world remains outside His purview. The way of the Lord is to be everywhere present, filling all things. Let us be attentive to what He is doing and saying at every moment.” (Dynamis 5/30/2021)

“I would suggest that it is a mistake to describe Christianity as a “historical” religion, despite the space-time reality of its central events. It is more correct to describe Christianity as an “eschatological” religion – a belief that the end of all things – the fulfillment of time and history – has entered space and time and inaugurated a different mode of existence. To put it in the simple terms of the Gospel: the Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“In Mark 1:15 Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand…The kingdom of God is at hand meaning it is present and continues to be present. It has broken through into our world. It is not simply a future state.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)

“For Christian ritual is distinguished not only by its eschatological fulfillment and its sacramental realism; it is also distinct in that it is but the external expression of what is present within us.” (Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ)

“The hour through which you are at present passing, the man whom you meet here and now, the task on which you are engaged at this very moment—these are always the most important in your whole life." (Paul Evdokimov)

“Scriptural passages, beginning with the story of creation, immerse the seeker into history, but more importantly, into a special time—"kairos," or sacred time—when the present moment touches eternity.” (Carol Buleza)

“…why don’t we spend more time in the present moment? The answer is simple. Our broken humanity has lost its natural intuition and no longer knows what to do with the present moment.” (Kevin Scherer)

“The great and abiding temptation for Christianity is to temporize the gospel. When the world sinks into the mundane, the normal, and the ordinary, the gospel becomes a banality, a religious teaching that does little more than moralize or threaten. The wonder that is the Kingdom of God breaking forth in the midst of things is dismissed and exchanged for that which will be, sometime later in the chronos. The subtle message is, “Not now, not here.” But the Kingdom of God is here and now.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“Despite all of our efforts to control our own reality, the fact is, we are controlled by the thoughts that barrage our minds. Most of us are unconsciously fixated on either the past or the future…we struggle to live in the present reality. We are more comfortable racing back and forth between the past and the present because we unconsciously believe that we can control it through discursive reasoning or inner dialogues.” (Kevin Scherer)

“The contemporary ignorance of Christian theology has made the Christian life subject to the tyranny of secular life and time. The Kingdom of God is partitioned from the world of the “ordinary” and “normal,” and turned into just one more thing in the future that has to wait its turn. However, this is utterly false and a denial of the work of Christ. In Christ, the Kingdom of God has shattered both time and matter. The bondage and debt of the created order are being overturned. What is hidden is being revealed. That which will be is present even now. Blessed are all who have loved His appearing.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“...we squander our mental faculties with endless hours before our computers, TVs, and iPads. As creatures who were created to commune with God, we waste our time in mindless pursuits, giving little thought to things that are spiritual and of eternal value. We battle not only against the all-ruling God but also against the ruling power inherent in our nature.” (Abbot Tryphon)

“If, indeed, we all have a kind of appetite for eternity, we have allowed ourselves to be caught up in a society that frustrates our longing at every turn. Half our inventions are advertised to save time—the washing machine, the fast car, the jet flight—but for what? Never were people more harried by time: by watches, by buzzers, by time clocks, by precise schedules …” (Sheldon Vanauken)

“The brevity of life is a theme throughout the books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Jesus also spoke about it (Luke 12:20). Ironically, people spend much time securing their lives on earth but little or no thought to where they will spend eternity.” (Life Application Study Bible, Psalms 39:5-6)

“Every day can bring about an event or problem that makes us feel unsettled. If we want to keep unrest at bay, it is important that we prayerfully receive everything with the knowledge that God is watching over us and that all will be fine in the end. Spending time worrying accomplishes nothing, for worrying simply keeps our attention in the wrong place.” (Abbot Tryphon)

“We should have a sense of Christ at all times. I should sense Christ sitting with me at the computer as I’m typing, because He is there. I should sense Christ in every conversation I have, because He is there. Because Christ is there at all times, that should affect what I write, what I say, what I do… use as much time as is possible for advancing Christ’s purposes in this world.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis, Foundation Study Bible, Ephesians 5:16)

“In the New Testament, "kairos" means "the appointed time in the purpose of God", the time when God acts… whereas "chronos" [kronos] refers to a specific amount of time, such as a day or an hour…Kronos is the time zone in which days add up to a week, weeks add up to a month, and years are numbered ad infinitum. Kairos, on the other hand, is the word that indicates a state "beyond time." It has been described as time so enriched by meaning and significance that watches and clocks are unwelcome.” (Wikipedia, Carol Buleza)

“There is a kairos, "a season and a time" (Ecclesiastes 3.1) for each divine gift, and this kairos is the time in which God acts, calling us to participate in His action.” (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese)

"In Christianity, time, however achieves a different dimension; the linearity of time does not really apply when our lives are linked with God Who exists outside of time. Time is only for us, created beings, but for Him past, present and future do not apply, He just is (Exo 3:14). When we join ourselves with Christ however, things start to change, because the more we acquire His likeness, the more we start looking at the world, including at time, from His eternal perspective." (Fr. Vasile Tudora)

“The best thing you and I can do is to stop looking at our watches and calendars and simply look by faith into the face of God and let Him have His way—in His time.” (Warren Wiersbe)

“If God 'foresaw' our acts, it would be very hard to understand how we could be free not to do them. But suppose God is outside and above the Time-line... You never supposed that your actions at this moment were any less free because God knows what you are doing. Well, He knows your tomorrow's actions in just the same way--because He is already in tomorrow and can simply watch you. In a sense, He does not know your action till you have done it: but the moment at which you have done it is already 'NOW' for Him.” (C. S. Lewis)

“Our future is not about what we have or don’t have, or about what might happen or what might not happen. Our future is all about Who we know and how well we know Him…In life, in death, and for eternity our relationship with God is what matters most, and therefore should be our main concern here and now.” (Cindi McMenamin, J.I. Packer)

“Some of us live in the past, our lives driven by memories of some powerful experience, defining event, or former relationship. Past-oriented people mix their present choices and relationships with a reality that no longer exists. They steer through life following the dictates of something or someone gone by.” (Dynamis 11/25/2014)

“If we are sensitive to each moment as God’s moment, we can be grateful for interruptions, because God often moves in unexpected ways.” (Albert S. Rossi)

“The time which you lend to God is not lost: He will return it to you with abundant interest."

(St. Basil the Great)

“...how we live in the life to come depends on how we live in this life. If in our deepest heart we love God and seek His Kingdom, we shall surely find it. But if we are wrapped up in ourselves instead, we shall be unable to enjoy the life that God grants freely to all.” (Clark Carlton)

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