Have you ever heard this Latin saying: that “Tempus fugit? (“Time flies”)? If you're a Knight of Columbus you certainly have, as this is the motto of the Order. You've probably seen “Tempus fugit" in various places in your life and maybe didn’t give it a thought. Growing up in Ohio I remember seeing it inscribed on the large grandfather- clock in our home. But it's a funny way to say that time passes rapidly, isn't it? Birds and planes fly, time passes or goes by. And yet we all would probably agree that tempus fugit is pretty accurate, that time seems to go so quickly that it “flies.”

We've just finished our annual celebration of Advent, Christmas, and the Epiphany and begun what the Church calls “Ordinary Time.” In five weeks we'll begin Lent 2023... Does it seem like time is flying? Does it seem like the entire year 2022 went by really quickly?

Of course we know that time is constant - except in Einsteinian calculations, which we don’t need to worry about in a parish bulletin column - and it goes by at the same rate every day, every year for every person. So why does it seem that for some it flies and for some it drags on? Or why does it seem to go by so quickly at certain times of the year? My hunch is that it's all related to being overly busy and reactive. That is, the busier we are with commitments, work, errands and all the demands of modern life - as well as mostly reacting to the requests and calendar events given to us - one day it's January and the next it's July.

You'll tell me, “but, Father, that's just life” and I agree to an extent, and am in the same boat with you! Life happens, we need to meet deadlines, we try to fit into a single day all the family responsibilities, work, prayer, exercise, friends, hobbies and shows we can. And the result is that time flies!

I've got no solutions for you in this column, except to maybe point you to the various time-management books and apps available. I do have a proposal for you though: In 2023 instead of letting time (seem to) fly by, make it (seem to) decelerate by committing to a time of meditation and prayer with Our Lord and His Mother... every day...

For centuries we have prayed the rosary as an act of meditation on the mysteries of the life of Jesus and Mary. We have also practiced Lectio Divina, intentional meditation on passages of Scripture. There are myriad ways to pray that allow us to step out of the craziness of the day and enter into God's time each day. Slowly but surely this has the effect of regulating how quickly time seems to pass. It won't bring it to a halt, but it gets us to re-focus, prioritize and be proactive. As we begin the Year of Our Lord 2023 and Ordinary Time this is a perfect time to:

1. Look at your daily/weekly agenda and carve out 10-15 minutes every day for personal prayer/ meditation.
2. Set some ground rules, like if you get distracted or your mind wanders back to the to-do list take a deep breath and say a Hail Mary.
3. Line up an accountability partner or group to check-in about how this is going.
4. Decide what this special, daily prayer time will involve - a Bible chapter or verse? Rosary? Morning Offering prayer? A daily saint’s life? Quiet conversation with the Holy Spirit?

Give it a shot! Feel free to ask someone here at St. John Vianney Parish for ideas. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Be ready to help your fellow parishioners in their prayer life. As our daily prayer life deepens we will notice all kinds of blessings and changes, not the least of which is on our time. Tempus fugit - but may it maybe slow to a glide this year..

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