What’s the most precious thing in the world? Not gold, not treasure, not even our children. It is TIME and even the ancients knew it was a precious gift, that runs its course and ends. This treasure is a gift for us to put to good use constantly, because we only get this chance. If saints in Heaven could weep, they would do it over the time they wasted on earth in not doing enough good, realizing that every single day was a chance to make a difference here. Working with Muslims on a daily basis, I often hear them say “Insha’Allah”, meaning “God willing” which isn’t used in the context of “May God bless our plans”, but with reference to the gift of time as in “We shall meet tomorrow … if we are so fortunate to still be alive!” This way they humbly concede they have no claim on the future and can’t be sure to wake up again. Everyone looks terribly busy in Hong Kong, yet I have a feeling the value of time is distorted like in the illusory expression: “time is money.” The ancient Greeks wisely had two words for time: Chronos was the ticking time measurable on a chronograph, while Kairos described the high-value moment of special occurrences, like the birth of a son or victory in battle.
The Evangelist Mark used the latter in his announcement: “The Kairos has been fulfilled!” Let us reflect on the importance of our own precious Kairos … as we can’t get it back when it’s lost, nobody knows how much is left and everyone is accountable for how he spends it. Pity those who dare to pass time, waste time, kill time, because doubtless in retrospect, they will one day lament every moment frittered away or squandered pursuing misguided goals. Instead, the discerning won’t be wishing to rewind the Clock of Life, at their final curtain call. If God's revelation is to be relevant to every sphere of human activity – physical, social, spiritual and so forth – then we should not be ambivalent about Kairos, but cherish it as the temporal arena for our talents to blossom and bear fruit. Here I think of the Lord Jesus, who in his youth grew in vigor and vitality, always consolidating his power until – at the appointed Kairos – he burst onto the public scene with exceeding significance and historical inevitability. I don’t think he ever wasted a moment of his precious and limited time. It has been well said that: “From the Father to the Father and in between 33 years in the world, a parenthesis in time with eternity on one side and eternity on the other and a short limited period on earth to play the role of Man in perfection.” How is this different for us? Therefore the wise know that time is the most precious of commodities – one that wealth can’t ransom – so isn’t it prudent to lay up in life those treasures which cannot be take away from us by death?
