“This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it, or I can use it for good. What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever leaving in its place something for which I have traded. I want it to be gain, not loss, good, not evil, success, not failure, in order that I shall not regret or forget the price I paid for it.”
This inspiring prayer, created by the late Heartsill Wilson, is part of my daily morning routine. It reminds me not only that “Today is the first day of the rest of my life” but of the teachings of Saint Paul. He writes about the journey of life being part of a greater journey in which ancestors have walked this way before us while descendants will follow the path we trod, that forbears have planted seeds in gardens that we water and progeny will follow behind to tend the sprouts that grow, that saints have laid solid foundations upon which we create frames so that children and grandchildren can build a powerful edifice. Whatever image works for us, our life is part of other lives, connected to those who died before we were born and to those who will be born after we die. Somehow, our lives are all interwoven and somehow, each day, we are given new opportunities to make our journey more meaningful, impactful, and true to our destiny by accompanying others along the road.
In a famous homily written by the late Bishop Ken Untener of Michigan honoring deceased priests, he penned these words: “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 another way of saying that the Kingdom is always beyond us…We plant seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds that have already been planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that need further development…We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that, yet it enables to do something and do it well. It may be incomplete but it’s a beginning; it’s a step along the way; it’s an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results but that’s the difference between the master builder and the workers. We are workers, not master builders; we are ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future that is not our own.”
Our earthly odyssey is designed by God; our task is to be active participants in the pilgrimage. We do it best when we realize that we do not walk alone, that those who have gone before us and those who follow after us are part of us. Each day, we can advance our destination to the Kingdom even if it remains beyond our reach. Every morning is a new beginning, and every day is another step along the way. As workers, we cultivate the plan of the master builder; as ministers, we trust and follow the messiah. We are part of something far greater than ourselves. It is a blessing to share in it each new day.
