Time After Time

Time is not on the clock
For even when the clock stops ticking
Time does not stop moving.
For time waits for no one.

Our destinies are not in the stars
But in our own hands.

Everybody has a chance to make a choice
And chances depend on the circumstances.
But whenever you have the chance
Choose wisely, for all choices have their consequences.

A Common Destiny for All

1. So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him.

2. All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, [a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
As it is with the good man,
so with the sinner;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.
3. This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.

4. Anyone who is among the living has hope —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

5. For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even the memory of them is forgotten.

6. Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.

7. Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.

8. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.

9. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.

10. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [c] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

11. I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

12. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so men are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpectedly upon them.

Wisdom Better Than Folly

13. I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me:

14. There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it.

15. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.

16. So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.

17. The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.

~ Ecclesiastes 9

He closed his small black Holy Bible and went on his knees.
He made the sign of the cross as he mumbled.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
He began reading the red beads as he prayed.

Kyrie, eleison.
Christe, eleison.
Kyrie, eleison.
Christe, audi nos.
Christe, exaudi nos.

Pater de caelis, Deus, …………….…… miserere nobis.
Fili, Redemptor mundi, Deus,
Spiritus Sancte, Deus,
Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus,
Cor Iesu, Filii Patris aeterni,
Cor Iesu, in sinu Virginis Matris
a Spiritu Sancto formatum,
Cor Iesu, Verbo Dei substantialiter unitum,
Cor Iesu, maiestatis infinitae,
Cor Iesu, templum Dei sanctum,
Cor Iesu, tabernaculum Altissimi,
Cor Iesu, domus Dei et porta caeli,
Cor Iesu, fornax ardens caritatis,
Cor Iesu, iustitiae et amoris receptaculum,
Cor Iesu, bonitate et amore plenum,
Cor Iesu, virtutum omnium abyssus,
Cor Iesu, omni laude dignissimum,
Cor Iesu, rex et centrum omnium cordium,
Cor Iesu, in quo sunt omnes thesauri
sapientiae et scientiae,|
Cor Iesu, in quo habitat omnis plenitudo
divinitatis,
Cor Iesu, in quo Pater sibi bene complacuit,
Cor Iesu, de cuius plenitudine
omnes nos accepimus,
Cor Iesu, desiderium collium aeternorum,
Cor Iesu, patiens et multae misericordiae,
Cor Iesu, dives in omnes qui invocant te,
Cor Iesu, fons vitae et sanctitatis,
Cor Iesu, propitiatio pro peccatis nostris,
Cor Iesu, saturatum opprobriis,
Cor Iesu, attritum propter scelera nostra
Cor Iesu, usque ad mortem obediens factum
Cor Iesu, lancea perforatum,
Cor Iesu, fons totius consolationis,
Cor Iesu, vita et resurrectio nostra,
Cor Iesu, pax et reconciliatio nostra,
Cor Iesu, victima peccatorum,
Cor Iesu, salus in te sperantium,
Cor Iesu, spes in te morientium,
Cor Iesu, deliciae Sanctorum omnium,

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
parce nobis, Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
exaudi nos, Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Amen.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father in heaven, …………….… have mercy upon us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God, the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit
in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united
to the Word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty,
Heart of Jesus, sacred temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate
of heaven,
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, home of justice of love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, perfection of all virtues,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, king and center
of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom are all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom dwells the fullness
of divinity,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom the Father was
well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, of Whose fullness we have
all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful,
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke You,
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, sacrificed for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with reproaches,
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offenses,
Heart of Jesus, obedient unto death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection,
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim of sin,
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust
in You,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die
in You,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints,

Lamb of God, Who take away the sins
of the world,
have mercy upon us.

Lamb of God, Who take away the sins
of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who take away the sins
of the world,
have mercy upon us.
Amen.

He made the sign of the cross again and rose to his feet.
The little boy had been watching him in silence.
It was quite warm inside the church.
He could still see that snowflakes were falling through the glass windows and he knew it was chilling cold and freezing outside. He would have loved if they remained inside the church until nightfall. But the weather could be worse after sunset.
The man turned to the little boy and stretched his right hand to him.
The boy held the hand as they left the church and walked into cold street. There were only some elderly people nearby and they were dressed in winter clothes. There were some vehicles on the street. It was very peaceful. The little boy looked up at the sky. He thought he saw a smiling face in the clouds. But the features of the face soon disappeared into the clouds.

The man was mumbling words to himself.

Let’s Go Home Son

All our most precious possessions have been lost
All the precious things we treasured most.
We have conquered all our fears
And we have shed all our tears.
We have left the daisies behind
We have seen the worst fate of humankind.
But, we thank God
We are among the survivors
For hundreds will never return to their homeland.
Their remains are still there on the shores
Who cares about sticks and stones?
Who cares about their bones?
Don’t ever forget this my boy
Don’t ever hope on anyone to save you
Otherwise, one day you will lose your joy.
For all of us are liars and only God is true.
When all have been said and done
We would all be dead and gone.
Let’s go home son.