Doing Everything at the Proper Time
What I can do now, I will not put off until another time. (OOCC, X, 540; STA, 101)
The world in which we live is a properly ordered system. There is a proper time for everything in the world. The night comes after the day. There are the seasons that come one after another in a continuous sequence. Similarly, the time to plant, the time to weed, and the time to harvest are well marked in this beautifully ordered universe. The human person is fully part of this well organized world. As the most significant part of the world, the human person also must do everything at the proper time. What he is expected to do now must be done now, and must not be put off for another time. The postponement of a task that has to be performed at a particular time, brings disorder in the life of the human person and discord in the society. The procrastination makes a person lazy and slows down the growth of the community. St. Vincent Pallotti, being aware of this truth, was very prompt in doing what was expected of him. Whether it was prayer, the apostolic endeavors or the works of charity, he did them all as per his plan and at the right time. He constantly lived his dictum: “What I can do now, I will not put off until another time.”
How prompt am I in performing the duties of my state of life? Do I have the tendency to procrastinate? By my tendency to postpone the performance of my duties do I make myself lazy? Does the attitude of postponing bring discord in the community? What concrete steps must I take to overcome my tendency to put off performing an action at the proper time?
There is a right time for everything … Everything is appropriate in its own time. (Eccl. 3: 1, 11)