I recently lost a childhood friend and in the past two weeks, I learned about the passing of at least 3 individuals I personally knew. The timing of this sad news paved way for a somber Lent. Last night, I attended the Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper in my parish and in preparation, I was presented this beautiful prayer in the daily meditation book. In it says
“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 a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. “.
My friend’s life was cut short, or maybe this was how long God intended her life to be. We never know when we will be called to move on to the next life. This made me think of my own mortality. My faith gives me hope though that God will meet me there along with my loved ones.
The prayer then suggests that our time here on earth is for sowing: “We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.”
How are we spending our time here on earth?
I’m sharing the prayer in full here. Hope it brings you solace.
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even 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 a 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 the 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 far 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 the Lord’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.
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This prayer was first presented by Cardinal Dearden in 1979 and quoted by Pope Francis in 2015. This reflection is an excerpt from a homily written for Cardinal Dearden by then-Fr. Ken Untener on the occasion of the Mass for Deceased Priests, October 25, 1979. Pope Francis quoted Cardinal Dearden in his remarks to the Roman Curia on December 21, 2015. Fr. Untener was named bishop of Saginaw, Michigan, in 1980.
https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/prophets-of-a-future-not-our-own
I’m sharing spring photos of my small garden. Everyday, I go out and observe to notice the changes. From January to March, there was a transformation – noticeable signs of hope and growth. However, there’s actually a lot of growth happening within them during winter that we can’t see.
Something Active, Something Creative 
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