The Past, the Present, and the Future

The past affects the future inasmuch as it dwells in our memory; that is, thinking on the past changes the way one lives in the present. One remembers good experiences, and tries to relive them; the evil and unpleasant things one seeks to avoid in the future. One reads history and forms opinions on the government, economy, and social issues of the present based on what has transpired in the past. If we study history to learn from man's previous mistakes (which we ought), so much the more should we take care to make time and meditate on Christ's life, that it might sanctify our lives in the present and bring us to happiness hereafter.