Prophets of a Future Not Our Own...

March 24 was the commemoration of a twentieth-century saint, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, who was the archbishop of San Salvador (capital of El Salvador), when he was killed while celebrating mass in a hospital chapel.  He had taken the side of the people in a time of great political upheaval and even civil war in his country.  He also was a faithful and insightful spiritual leader, and the following meditation is one attributed to him.  It has often spoken to me, but I think it speaks to all of us.  In our efforts at CELC, we cannot do it all, but what we can do, we can do well through the God who strengthens us.  Sometimes, we can only plant the seeds.  Often, we must take the long view.

Prophets of a Future Not Our Own

It helps, now and then, to step back

and take the long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,

it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of

the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete,

which is another way of saying

that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection.

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the church’s mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:

We plant seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted,

knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything

and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,

and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,

an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results,

but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders,

ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own. Amen.

Archbishop Oscar Romero