One Traveler

Perhaps these words from Bishop Kenneth Untener (as shared by Maureen Sullivan, OP) in her book, The Road to Vatican II, are good openers for some thoughts.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete.
No statement says all that could be said.
We plant the seeds that will one day grow.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are the workers, not the master builder.
We are ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

Sister Maureen (who I once had as a professor) calls that a prayer, and it certainly can be one. I guess that’s neither here nor there. The important takeaways for me are the understanding that each of us has a role to play and that humility is important—as is an openness to learning—so that what we are building can continually get better, not worse—even if by better we are talking about short-term gains that provide a foundation for long-term ones.

I have made a bazillion mistakes in the past and have my share of regrets, but wringing my hands, wallowing, and deciding that these mistakes define me are roads I’m not going to travel. Putting the car in reverse will not get me where I need to go.