Transparent time

"The contemplative life is a life in which time slowly loses its opaqueness and becomes transparent. This is often a very difficult and slow process, but it is full of re-creating power. To start seeing that the many events of our day, week or year are not in the way of our search for a full life, but rather the way to it, is a real experience of conversion. If we start discovering that writing letters, attending classes, visiting people, and cooking food are not a series of random events that prevent us from realizing our deepest self, but contain within themselves the transforming power we are looking for, then we are beginning to move from time lived as chronos to time lived as kairos. Kairos means the opportunity. It is the right time, the real moment, the chance of our life. When our time becomes kairos, it opens up endless new possibilities and offers us a constant opportunity for a change of heart.
In Jesus' life, every event becomes kairos. He opens his public ministry with the words, "the time has come" (Mk 1: 15) and he lives every moment of it as an opportunity. Finally he announces that his time is near and enters into his last hours as the kairos. In so doing he liberates history from fatalistic chronology.

This really is good news because now we know that all the events of life, even such dark events as war, famine, flood, violence and murder, are not irreversible fatalities but rather carry within themselves the possibility of becoming the moment of change.

(Henri Nouwen)

How apt a reminder for me, as my 'slowing down' process is never one that keeps an even keel. Last week I found many spaces in which to breathe deeply of life, many hours to do things at a slower pace, with even time to spare to give a listening ear at short notice. The chronos this week looks a bit more disorganized, and if I am not careful, I could lose the opportunity of every kairos moment - well, especially the more tiresome ones!! I have to go to DBKL (again) tomorrow with the draughtsman to clarify the amendments asked for in the renovation plans.....a task I do not look forward to, already labelling it as an extra chore.... wondering why the draughtsman did not 'know' these were requirements for submission........nothing transparent here - for now, it seems just so much opacity. (Sigh)