Every now and then it helps us to take a step back
and to see things from a distance.

The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is also beyond our visions.

In our lives, we manage to achieve only a small part
of the marvelous plan that is God’s work.

Nothing that we do is complete,
which is to say that the Kingdom is greater than ourselves.

No statement says everything that can be said.

No prayer completely expresses the faith.

No Creed brings perfection.

No pastoral visit solves every problem.

No program fully accomplishes the mission of the Church.

No goal or purpose ever reaches completion.

This is what it is about:

We plant seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted,
knowing that others will watch over them.

We lay the foundations of something that will develop.

We add the yeast which will multiply our possibilities.

We cannot do everything,
yet it is liberating to begin.

This gives us the strength to do something and to do it well.

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

It is an opportunity for the grace of God to enter
and to do the rest.

It may be that we will never see its completion,
but that is the difference between the master and the laborer.

We are laborers, not master builders,
servants, not the Messiah.

We are prophets of a future that does not belong to us.

This prayer is attributed to Bishop Ken Untener of the USA, was also spoken by Cardinal John Deardon of Detroit, MI, and was also used by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador.  Pope Francis continues to be a breath of fresh air!