Thursday, March 24, 2011

"We are prophets of a future not our own"


Today on our liturgical calendar we honor the work and witness of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The collect for the day is:
Almighty God, you called your servant Oscar Romero to be a voice for the voiceless poor, and to give his life as a seed of freedom and a sign of hope: Grant that, inspired by his sacrifice and the example of the martyrs of El Salvador, we may without fear or favor witness to your Word who abides, your Word who is Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.
And here are some of his own words ... in a poem entitled "A Future Not Our Own" ... which spoke to me with particular power and grace this morning.

A FUTURE NOT OUR OWN

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 God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
Which is another 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 set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:
We plant 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 effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
And there is a sense of liberation 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 God’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results…
We are prophets of a future not our own.


Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who was assassinated for speaking up for God's Kingdom and justice in 1980.

3 comments:

danielj said...

"This is what we are about:
We plant 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 effects beyond our capabilities".

wow...just wow!
As for myself, I see the seeds that LGBT folks are planting in the church to be of great benefit, not only to themselves, but to the church as well.

As +Gene said, the gay agenda is "Jesus".

Benny Hazlehurst said...

Thank you for these powerful words from this inspiring modern martyr. I will print them out and put them above my desk.

They will help me when I get impatient or furstrated, and inspire me to always think bigger!

God Bless, Benny

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

A true Saint!