Fruit For Thought…
03.26.23
This week we are going to let the words of others supplement our conversations on how we view living a fruitful Christian life and “embodying the mission.”
This first quote is from the late archbishop Oscar Romero. Romero earned the title given to him by John Paul II of “servant of God” for his commitment to ministering to and advocating for the poor and marginalized. I find this quote to be an encouragement as we seek to live this fruitful life of faith. This quote reminds me that I am not in control of the results, I am only asked to remain faithful and remain rooted in the love of God.
“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 the Lord’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No sermon says all that should 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. That is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that affects 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, 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 that is not our own.”
This second quote is a prayer. The one that everyone just got done celebrating (kind of), St. Patrick is historically known as Patrick of Ireland. The real story of Patrick is one of great perseverance and faithfulness to God. At age 16, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave where he was forced to shepherd for six years. After he escaped and returned to him home of Britain, he believed his deliverance was ordained by God and devoted his life to the ministry. Patrick’s faithfulness led him to return to the land of Ireland (where he was held captive) to serve as a missionary and church planter for 30 years. You do not live this life of fruitful faithfulness without fully abiding in Christ. This section of the “Prayer of St. Patrick” speaks to his (and our) desire to abide in Christ so he can fully embody the mission.
“Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me. I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, a belief in the Threeness, through a confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.”