Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?
In the first reading for today’s liturgy, Job ponders the question that has haunted many of our sisters and brothers down through the ages, Is not our life on earth a drudgery? The Biblical story of Job, of course, easily draws him to this conclusion as he encounters the darkness and unfairness of life at every corner – plague, sickness and death.
As we look at the time allotted to us in our own journey through life, time can be viewed from two differing perspectives. In seeing ‘time’ as merely ‘one damn thing after another’ in a never-ending unfolding of meaninglessness, the Greek’s referred to such time as chronos. Chronos time meanders in a disconnected way leading to Job’s conclusion of life as drudgery.
For believers, however, ‘time’ can be viewed from a radically different perspective. Time that is holds meaning, that is directed by purpose, that surprises us with joy even in the midst of life’s inevitable challenges, is called Kairos time.
For Jesus and his disciples, chronos time gave way to Kairos time. Every moment for the Lord held the possibility of seeing his Father at work redeeming and sanctifying human existence. The healing stories that make up so much of the drama of the Gospels speak of time as Kairos – the in-breaking of God to mysteriously bring hope from despair, light from darkness, life from death.
As we move through these plague-days, it is so very easy to see time as Job did, one despairing and de-spiriting damn day after another. Or, you and I hold the possibility within us to see the days before us as Kairos time, with each moment and day that the Good Lord gives us as an opportunity to witness to the transforming and healing power of Christ to bring meaning and hope out of this moment.
It might be as simple as calling a long-lost friend and reconnecting. It might be helping an elderly person maneuvering through the on-line technology to schedule a covid vaccination. It might be simply picking up food at the store for a neighbor. These and countless other opportunities we have each day can transform chronos to Kairos as we celebrate the miracle of life that embraces us each day.