Time and Money: these two concepts basically cover and/or stand for ALL we have and care about on this PLANET, earth. On the one hand: Time covers opportunities we have/had, chances we explored and utilized for our and/or family wellbeing, the chances we optimized and grew into some part of our life’s dream, etc. Over and above all: TIME could also represent the opportunities we matured in our religious/spiritual aspirations, expectations and quest. How much we have made the best of this ‘element’ depends entirely on us. About TIME, St Alphonsus De Liguori has a few things to tell us: “Time is a real treasure. ‘Son’, says the Holy Ghost, ‘be careful in the use of time, because time is the greatest and most precious gift which God can give man in this world” Further he adds: “Even the gentiles knew the value of time; Seneca said that no price can be paid for time”. “But it was the saints who understood best the value of time. St Bernardine of Siena says: ‘In a short space of time man can gain an eternal glory. Time is of as much value as God, because by spending his time well, man can gain God Himself.” {St Alphonsus De Liguori: “Preparation For Death”, St Paul’s Press 1961, p.96} In the end, my conviction is: ETERNITY IS BUILT ON TIME. Let’s pray and by God’s grace, make the best of our TIME on earth.
On the other hand: Money will stand for all that money can acquire – Our physical properties – houses, furniture, vehicles, estates, companies, investments and allied companies, business capital, etc… Let us borrow some ideas from St Alphonsus De Liguori on the Vanity of the World: “Seek here on earth the goods which cannot be lost at death’s coming”. The day of our death is called “the day of ruin” (Deut. 32:35), because on that day we shall lose all the goods of this world, honours, riches, pleasure, all. Our Lord Jesus Christ says: “How is a man the better for it, if he gains the whole world at the cost of losing his own soul? (Mt. 16:26). St Alphonsus went on to give many examples of saints who, realizing the ‘real’ value of worldly things (all vanities) spent the rest of their lives in Monasteries, Hermitages and stable Religious lives. He also told the story, how St Ignatius of Loyola drew many souls to God, particularly the great soul of St Francis Xavier who then lived in Paris, attached to worldly ideals. Basically St Alphonsus De Liguori wants us to live detached to worldly goods. Unfortunately, I see myself amass material stuff; some of us here in the U.S. rent and pay for self-storage spaces for their extra stuff. In most cases, these items are hardly seen or used in years.
About these TWO concepts, we may have a faint idea, if anything about them. For instance, we may know the summary of our deposit balance we have in our Bank Account and/or in the different financial institutions. That’s it. About how much TIME we have, we do not have the slightest clue. Therefore, good sense demands that we be extra careful about this most valuable of the two concepts – TIME.