Curated Discussion : Time & Eternity

Curated Discussion : Time & Eternity

Start your meeting by listening together to the episode “Why Time” of the podcast Time Eternal by Dr. Nicole Roccas

Then, as a group or in smaller groups, discuss the following questions:

  1. How do you experience time? Does time seem like a blessing? An opportunity? An access point to God? Or does it feel stressful? Nagging? Like a burden?
  2. Does time feel sacred? How have you experienced time as something sacred?
  3. How can our awareness of time make a real difference in our spiritual lives?
  4. “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
    • As we begin this school year, what are some practical steps we can take to take advantage of time? What are some ways we can more regularly perceive time as sacred?

Conclude today’s meeting by praying the Prayer of the Hours

Thou who at every season and every hour, in Heaven and on earth art worshipped and glorified, O Christ God; long-suffering, merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the just and showest mercy upon the sinner; Who callest all to salvation through the promise of blessings to come. O Lord, in this hour receive our supplications, and direct our lives according to Thy commandments.

Sanctify our souls. Purify our bodies. Correct our minds; cleanse our thoughts; and deliver us from all tribulations, evil, and distress. Surround us with Thy holy angels; that, guided and guarded by them, we may attain to the unity of the faith, and unto the knowledge of Thine unapproachable glory. For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer taken from oca.org

Guided Discussion : Time & Eternity

Guided Discussion : Time & Eternity

We live in a reality where we are caught between the eternal and the temporal. We live

lives within the temporal: we mark the years, seasons, and feasts, and yet, we look to

the eternal “and the life of the age to come.”

At times, because we live in this tension, we lose sight of the blessings that come with

each “type” of time. We may also miss out on how the two types of time compliment

one another within the Christian life.

Living in the now

Time flies without us noticing! What practices do you use to mark chronological time

passing? How have you found this practice to be beneficial?

Describe a period in your life where you wish you had been more more aware of time

passing.

We must be intentional about living in the present moment. How can we use the

beginning of this new school year to more intentionally live in the present and treat our

time as a sacred gift?

Living in light of eternity

God offers us windows into the eternal; glimpses at the coming age through the work

and prayers of the Church. How do we prepare for the eternal? What practices have you

found helpful to make the most of these “eternal” events.

Who among us doesn’t get distracted with the temporal when we’re supposed to be

focused on the eternal? Physically we’re in liturgy, but our mind is with our assignments,

our to-dos, our problems, our plans. Why is this the case? How can we combat this?

Time meets the eternal

Christ comes to meet each one of us at the intersection of the temporal and the eternal.

As temporal beings, we are transported during the Divine Liturgy to the eternal Liturgy

partaken of by all the saints. Sadly, once we walk out of Liturgy, we tend to leave this

behind and return to our “normal lives.”

Why is that? What has been your experience in the past?

What can we each do to change that? How can we live more of our lives at the meeting

point between the temporal and the eternal?

Why is this meeting point important? Will this make any real difference in our lives?