Gibran’s The Prophet,* offers that
children’s “souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not
even in your dreams.” This rings true, especially with the pace and magnitude
of change in our world today. Children,
especially, need to be able to believe, to trust in the future. They depend on parents and society to build
the foundation for it. How important the
foundation!
In the Romero Prayer, the
author speaks to me of our niche in transforming the future for those we love,
for next generations. On the chance that
you’ve not yet experienced this reflection, I’m passing it on.
ARCHBISHOP
OSCAR ROMERO PRAYER
(Actually composed by Bishop Ken Untener,
but has become attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero)
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, messiahs.
We
are prophets of a future not our own.
May
the children of our world have reason for gratitude and continue
to
build a better future for all!
*The Prophet, by Kalil
Gibran, originally published by Alfred A. Knopf Publisher, NY, 1923
Sr. Sharon Portwood, OSB
Dear Sister thank you for this important meditation and truth. I would add that what we say has to be shorter and clearer and stronger -- so I would cut down the prayer to make it more forceful. thank you for the truth that is here, Stean
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