SR. SOLOME NAJJUKA
What is time really? It took me years to engage in a meaningful reflection on time and its constitution, some kind of futile venture, or is it? Many scholars tell us that time is an identifiable resource, equally available to all. Even though people are not born with equal capabilities, equal physical initial environments, or equal social, economic, or cultural opportunities, we all have the same twenty-four hours daily and the same fifty-two weeks yearly.
In our daily life, the questions we ask about time range from: what is the time? What time do you have? How do you make it? Will you catch the time? And are we in time? Among others. In effect, we see time as something we possess (I have no time), some
entity that is in perpetual motion to some infinite destiny (time has gone), some kind of consumable object (the time is finished), some entity running towards a finish line (time has reached), something we gain and win in some fashion (when I get time),
some substance we have power over and can create (I will make time for). Yet again, some people view time as an enemy to face and thus they will declare, “time is against me.” In common parlance still, we talk about time as a healer. Time is also assigned the role of truth-telling, “time will tell.” Reminders of time are everywhere as even our boda boda-clogged city, Kampala,
has the yet-to-be-reinstalled city clock to remind us of time. We have clocks in our offices and bedrooms to tell us what time it
is. In olden times, nurses and teachers kept watches in their pockets to remind them of time, while most of us carry watches on
our wrists or have clocks on our phones and music sets. Many a time, we set beautiful melodies on our phones to remind us
of the time to wake up. When we open our television channels, we do not miss our news reporters and other presenters
echoing the time and letting us know we are at the top of the hour. We set time on our computers as we type away and drive cars with clocks on the dashboard. The Bible gives us a lot to reflect on regarding time. God is indeed the master of time and the great user of time. We are told that “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet, no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Following St. Paul, we are also cautioned to understand what happens in time; “and do this, understanding the present time: the
hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Time is supposed to help us deepen our reflection on the mysteries of faith, and to find deep within ourselves moments of encounter and growth in our Lord (Romans 13:11).
In the book of Ecclisiastes, there is time for everything…” its own time … For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted; … a time to laugh and a time to mourn and so on (Ecclisiastes 3:1-8). And as sure as day, there is a time to read this reflection. This precious ubiquitous time! Time is a marvel, it is so precious that we can even say time is us and we are time. Alice Bloch sums it up for us, “We say we waste time but that is impossible. We waste ourselves! Please, do not waste yourself !!
