On the night before his death, Jesus said to his apostles: In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again. . . We are living in this short time, a time indeed full of sadness and sorrow. To live this short time in the spirit of Jesus Christ, means to reach out from the midst of our pains and to let them be turned into joy by the love of him who came within our reach. Once God has touched us in the midst of our struggles and has created in us the burning desire to be forever united with him, we will find the courage and the confidence to prepare his way and to invite all who share our life to wait with us during this short time for the day of complete joy. With this new courage and new confidence, we can strengthen each other with the hopeful words of Paul to Titus: God’s grace has been revealed and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions. We must be self restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13). 

– Henri Nouwen