I’m not sure why exactly, but at the time and for many years thereafter, his death had a powerful impact on me. Maybe it was because he went through such an amazing transformation in his life from a priest who was tied to the wealthy establishment of El Salvador to one who became a prophetic witness for the poor and oppressed in the country, knowing in the end that it was going to cost him his life. And maybe especially on this Maundy Thursday, because I want always to be able to challenge myself to be on that side as well, to also be a prophetic voice and to consider whether I too could lay down my life in the struggle for justice.
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 pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church’s mission. 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 in 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, 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 not our own. Amen.
Oscar Romero