Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Can you believe it’s been over 40 days since Easter Sunday? The theme of May always seems to be, “I don’t know where the time has gone.” Everywhere I go, people can’t believe that the school year is ending, the summer is around the corner, we’re almost halfway through 2025, that Easter has come and now is almost gone. While it’s hard to believe, the passing of time is something that’s even harder to come to terms with.
When life seems to move too fast, it comes with a sense of loss, regret, or fear, and sometimes all of the above. And I believe that it’s a false hope that keeps people going through the motions. We have a false hope that there is always tomorrow to do the right thing. But maybe that’s not true. I actually think it’s quite impossible to do the right thing tomorrow without doing the right thing today. Oftentimes we choose the next thing, or I should say, the next thing is chosen for us. And this is why time flies past us, because we choose to not interact with it at all.
This Sunday, I find myself in disbelief that it’s already Ascension Sunday. I made a promise to myself that I would make my sleep a priority this Easter season, and yet here I am typing this blog chugging an afternoon coffee just to stay awake. It’s no wonder that these 40 days flew by— I was hardly awake for half of them, constantly thinking that I would choose better tomorrow. How many tomorrows do we have to live before realizing it’s today? Our hope isn’t in the future. It’s here and now. Our hope is that Jesus has a purpose for us today.
In the readings, we hear Jesus remind us that it’s not for us to know the times and seasons that God has established. It’s not for us to worry and dwell on the future, but to put our trust in Jesus because “he who made the promise is trustworthy.” Jesus makes it clear that time isn’t our enemy, but it’s under the power of God, which means it is a good. And we are wasting this good God has given us. We choose to pass the time with tedious work and meaningless tasks because we can’t stand to be bored or helpless. But this is a waste of God’s time in our lives. God gives us seasons, Sabbaths, solemnities, and Jubilees to remind us that today is the time to be with Him. That the only time well-spent is time with Him. That is why we proclaim in the Psalms, “better one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” Don’t let another thousand tomorrows steal the time gifted to you. Today, use your time well.