Sanctification of the Moment

A conscience burdened with the guilt of past sins is fearful of divine judgment.  But God in His mercy has given us two remedies for such an unhappiness. One is the Sacrament of Penance, which blots out the past by remission of sins and lightens the future by our hope for divine mercy through continued repentance and amendment of our lives…The second remedy for the ills that come to us from thinking about time is what might be called the sanctification of the moment – or the Now.  Our Lord laid down the rule for us in these words: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Mt 6:34).  This means that each day has its own trials; we are not to borrow troubles from tomorrow because that day too will have its cross.  We are to leave the past to divine mercy and to trust the future, whatever its trials, to God’s loving providence.  Each minute of life has its peculiar duty – regardless of the appearance that minute may take.  The Now-moment is the moment of salvation.  Each complaint against it is a defeat; each act of resignation to it is a victory. 

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen