Living the Time We Have Left for the Lord

Nicole Potvin
Nov 2
3 min read

An article by Deacon Dan Ritchie

How many years have passed since our first breath? How many blessings have we received that we did not earn? How many opportunities to love did we seize — and how many did we miss? Today, imagine you see two jars before you: one filled with marbles representing the time that has already slipped through our fingers, the other with the time that may still remain.

We do not know how many marbles are left in that second jar — maybe many, maybe very few. But as Christians, especially as Catholics, we know this: every moment given to us from this point forward is a gift and a mission.

A Life Lived for Christ

St. Paul reminds us that life is Christ and death is gain. Our baptism united us to Jesus — we belong to Him body and soul. We are not just living for ourselves anymore. We are called to reflect His love in every word spoken, every act of kindness offered, every injustice we refuse to ignore.

None of us can earn Heaven. Salvation is God’s gift through Christ. Yet, as the Letter of James teaches, faith without works is dead. The authenticity of our love for God is revealed in our love for others. When we serve, forgive, encourage, and sacrifice, the grace we receive at the altar becomes visible in daily life.

The Eucharist — Fuel for the Journey

At every Mass, Christ gives us Himself — fully, without holding back. The Eucharist is not

merely something we receive; it is Someone we become. Jesus lives in us so that through us, He may keep loving the world.

When we approach the altar, we carry our wounds, our regrets, and our weaknesses. And what does the Lord do? He transforms them. He feeds us with His Body and Blood so that we may become His hands and heart for others. The Eucharist empowers us to spend whatever marbles remain in a way that gives glory to God.

The Call to Kindness — Everywhere, to Everyone

Kindness is not optional in the Christian life; it is essential. Jesus said the world would

recognize His disciples by their love. That love must extend to those we find easy to love and those we find difficult — the stranger, the lonely, the forgotten, the annoying, the broken.

Every smile, every patient word, every small act of generosity is a proclamation of the Gospel. Holiness does not always require grand gestures — only a heart that refuses to ignore the person in front of us. If we want to change the world, we start by changing how we treat the next person we meet.

The Redemptive Value of Suffering

None of us escape the cross. Pain, illness, loss, disappointment — these marbles weigh

heavily. But in Catholic faith, suffering is not meaningless. In the Eucharist, Christ joins His suffering to ours. When we unite our trials to His Cross, they become powerful instruments of grace for ourselves and others.

Your suffering, offered in love, can help save souls. It can deepen your compassion. It can purify your heart. It can draw you closer to the wounded Christ who loves you beyond measure. Through the Cross, pain becomes prayer — and prayer becomes love.

The Time Already Used — The Time Still Remaining

Take a moment to look at the jars. One represents years filled with both sin and grace, failures and triumphs — years God has already forgiven and redeemed. The other jar represents unknown time — precious, sacred, and purposeful.

We cannot change the marbles already spent. But we can shape the story of the marbles still to come.

What if we decided today…

To live each moment as if it were our last?
To make peace quickly and forgive freely?
To look for Christ in every person?
To receive the Eucharist with deeper gratitude and devotion?
To offer our struggles for the salvation of others?

Our lives are a pilgrimage toward eternity. Each marble is a chance to love more deeply, believe more fully, and surrender more completely to God’s will.

Today Is the Day

My friends, God is not finished with you. If you can draw breath, you can draw near to Christ. Your best days of grace can still be ahead of you — no matter your age or past mistakes.

Let us live the rest of our marbles with purpose:

for the Lord who loves us and for the people He places in our path.

May Christ present in the Eucharist strengthen us to use our remaining time well — until our final marble is placed into His merciful hands.