January: Day 1: Teaching 3: New Year's Day

January: Day 1: Teaching 3:
New Year's Day
 
(You Need to Value Your Time)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. It is customary to talk about time on New Year's Day. Following the general custom, we will also talk about it. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says about time: "Walk carefully..., redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15-16). Strange thing! Is it really necessary to remind man, created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26), created in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph. 2:10), a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor (Ps. 8:6) - do we still need to remind him, to teach him to redeem time? Although strange, but in fact it is so.

II. Look at all the objects that are around you, above you, below you. They all do their work invariably - and all in their own time. The heavenly bodies unswervingly follow the path indicated to them by the Creator and know the time when to shine. The sun, like a bridegroom, comes out of his chamber, pours light over the whole earth and then knows its west. The moon shines at night. The night gives sweet rest to all creatures. The earth knows the time when the grass for cattle and grain for the service of men vegetate. The trees clothe themselves with leaves and fruits in their own time. And, alas, "only man," as the wise man says, "does not know his time" (Eccl. 9:12), and only human vices make the days evil, and only people make the days evil because of their folly, for they do not want to know the present use of time (Saint Jerome and Blessed Augustine in a homily on the words of the Apostle Paul, Eph. 5:15, 16).

So it turns out to be true that it is man who especially needs a reminder to treasure time, and that therefore the Apostle's instruction is essential and necessary for him. This instruction is necessary, for everything: money spent, wealth spent, and even health shaken can return, but lost time will never return.

a) Every minute of time must be treasured. Often, even one momentary mistake becomes the cause of sorrow for a lifetime. Frequently, in a moment of self-forgetfulness and temptation, a person commits evil, for the correction of which his whole life is not enough afterwards. And it often happened that only one sin and one negligence entailed disastrous and inevitable consequences. This instruction of the Holy Apostle is necessary: for even one dishonest act and one impious word defile the soul. So, often, in a very short time, people dishonored their name, prepared for themselves cruel pangs of conscience for a lifetime and caused their loved ones the most bitter sorrow. And, on the contrary, in the same short time people also did significant good, if they decided to follow the path of truth and honesty. At the same time, of course, it is also certain that if someone did at least one good deed a day, he spent his life in a worthy and beautiful manner and prepared for himself a rich harvest in heaven.

So, from reflection on just minutes, as you see, you can be convinced of how important and necessary for us is the Apostle’s instruction: “Walk carefully, redeeming the time.”

b) And what then can we say about time in general? Oh, if we think about it even a little, we will clearly see how necessary this instruction of the Apostle is to us. For what is our whole present life? “It is neither more nor less than a ladder, which at one end extends to heaven, and at the other touches hades: and we, walking along it, gradually either approach heaven and finally reach it; or descend into hades, and finally are cast down to the bottom of hell.” And at the same time, who knows, perhaps the present time is already the last step on this ladder? Who can say that the midnight voice will not soon be heard: “Behold, the Bridegroom comes?” Who can assure us that not today, but tomorrow we will be called to the judgment of God? - Of course no one. And if so, then it is clear, according to the word of the Apostle, that we must constantly act cautiously, redeeming the time, we must constantly remember that our life is short and suddenly interrupted, that everything on earth is perishable and insignificant, except conscience and the immortal soul; that we must distinguish and enrich ourselves with that which will pass into eternity together with the soul, that is, with good deeds, and that, finally, one of us is a terrible enemy to himself who lives as if he never needs to die.

III. What else can be added to this in order to more firmly confirm and more strongly impress the word of the Apostle in your minds and hearts? Let us add the following instruction of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, with which we conclude the discourse. “O poor sinner,” teaches the Saint, “why do you promise yourself the morning, which is not in your power, but in God’s? What if you do not live to see tomorrow? What if the royal decree comes to you immediately, and the Heavenly King and Lord calls you thereby not to repentance, but to give an answer and judgment? What fear, what trembling, horror and despair will shake your soul then! Death follows everyone on an invisible road and takes a man when he does not expect it, and where he does not expect it, and how he does not expect it. What if she comes to you in such thoughts, and cries out to you without a voice: "Go, man, the Lord Almighty calls you!" What will you say then?... So do not delay, sinner, turn to the Lord, lest instead of God's mercy you experience God's judgment on yourself. We come to Christ not with our feet, but with our hearts, not by changing our place, but by changing our will and morals for the better. He who changes within himself, and having abandoned an evil habit, cleanses himself by repentance and guards himself against every sin, and pleases the will of Christ, he goes to Christ and says with the prophet: 'My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; (Psalm 7:2)! Behold, I come!.. Enough of lingering in a foreign land; enough of serving an evil master; enough of feeding on sins, like worthless horns. Let us arise and go to our Father, and He will feed us with a table as is presented to His sons. 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before You, and am no longer worthy to be called Your son: make me therefore as one of Your hired servants'” (Luke 15:18). 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.