Praise to Jesus and Mary, now and forever.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life.
St. Paul tells us, we know that every competition is timed.
Every game has a time limit.
Every season has a number of games, and then the competition is over.
The trophy is given to somebody and not to anybody else.
I'd like to share with you today some excerpts from an excellent sermon by St. Alphonsus on the value of time.
We have a limited time to lay hold of eternal life.
We have a limited time to acquire the greatest possible share in eternal life.
Because of these two things, we must always be aiming for eternal life, so salvation, but also the greatest possible share in eternal life because the share that we acquire here on earth is what we will have for all eternity.
The amount of glory that we will have in eternal life depends on how we have spent time on earth.
St. Alphonsus says, St. Paul exhorts us not to spend time unprofitably.
He calls the present time the day of salvation because perhaps after this day of salvation, there shall be no salvation for us.
Since then, the time which we have to remain on this earth is short.
The apostle tells those who weep that they ought not to weep because their sorrows shall soon pass away.
And those who rejoice not to fix their affections on their enjoyments because they shall soon have an end.
He concludes that we should use this world, but not to enjoy its transitory goods, but to merit eternal life.
Then he talks about wasting time, and what a great waste that is, literally.
He says you will see some person spending four or five hours or however long in play and amusements.
Others remain half the day standing in the street doing nothing or looking out from a window.
If you ask them what they are doing, they shall say in reply that they are simply passing the time.
And why? Why do you lose this time?
Why should you lose even a single hour which the mercy of God gives you to weep for your sins and to acquire divine grace?
The workmen of whom Matthew speaks did no evil.
Here he alludes to the parable of the workers being called into the vineyard one after the other during the course of the day.
So these workmen of whom St. Matthew speaks did no evil.
They only lost time by remaining idle in the streets.
But they were rebuked by the father of the family, saying, Why do you stand here all the day idle, doing nothing?
And on the day of judgment, Jesus shall demand an account not only of every month and day that has been lost, but even of every idle word.
All our salvation depends on corresponding with divine calls and at the time that God calls us.
And then he addresses a word to the young or to those who consider themselves young and still think that they have a lot of time left.
He says, Some of you will say, I am young.
After some time, I will give myself to God.
After some time, I'll pursue holiness.
But remember that the gospel tells us that Jesus Christ cursed the fig tree, which he found without fruit, although the season for figs had not yet arrived.
By this, the Savior wished to signify that man at all times, even in his youth, should produce fruits of good works, and that otherwise, like the fig tree, he shall be cursed and shall produce no fruit for the future.
And then he speaks of the anguish at life's end, if we realize at the end of life how much time we've wasted.
How great is the anguish of a traveler who, when the night has fallen, perceives that he has missed the way and that there is no more time to correct his mistake.
Such shall be the anguish of death of those who have lived many years in the world, but have not spent them for God.
Hence, the Redeemer says to everyone, Walk while you have light, let the darkness overtake you not.
And then there's a conclusion, a lift-up-your-hearts conclusion, redeeming lost time.
He gives the example of St. Paul, who had wasted a lot of time in his life, not only opposing Christianity, persecuting Christians and putting them to death, and yet he made up for all of that.
How well did St. Paul redeem the time which he had lost?
St. Jerome says that although he was the last of the apostles, he was, on account of his great labors, the first in merits.
St. Paul himself acknowledges that.
Last one to arrive, to work, and yet the one to acquire most merits in the apostleship.
Let us consider that in each moment, we may lay up greater treasures of eternal goods.
You have it now in your power to acquire in each moment eternal treasures, and will you, notwithstanding, misspend your time?
And do not say that what you can do today, you can also do tomorrow, because this day shall be then lost to you and shall never return.
You have this day, but perhaps tomorrow will not be given you.
All the saints value time. St. Alphonsus, from whom we're quoting himself, made a vow to never lose a single moment of time.
He made a solemn promise to God to never lose a single moment.
St. Maximilian Kolbe consecrated all this time to Our Lady.
When he was sick, he would lay his watch at the feet of Our Lady to remind himself that all his time belonged to her.
Even when he was sick and could do no work, he could offer his sufferings to her.
Let us do the same. This September 22nd, right, September 22nd, 2023, is the only September 22nd, 2023, that we will ever have for all eternity.
This Mass, this Offertory, this Holy Communion, this Thanksgiving, this breakfast that you're going to have afterwards, this day, its work, its suffering, this day will only happen once for all eternity.
Let's value it as the saints did. Let us value every single moment of it to acquire eternal life and the greatest possible share in eternal life.
Praise to Jesus and Mary, now and forever.