The Resources to Finish

November 5, 2008

Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. (Philippians 2:12-13)

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom am I afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

“Which one of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30)

Piety

Lord, guide the leaders we have selected to lead our country. We ask that they find in You and in us the resources they need to help us all realize the promises of equality and liberty upon which this nation was founded.

Study

Well, it’s done. The voting is done in the longest presidential campaign season in U.S. history. And yet, the real work is only beginning: selection of cabinet members and other key personnel, transition meetings, and then, on January 20, the official, peaceful transfer of power. Sober, solid planning will replace the frenetic pace of cross-country campaigning and confrontational advertising and media appearances.

We face the same contrasts in our relationship with God. There are those moments of ecstasy when we understand a Biblical passage or other writing in a new way, or when we experience a joyfully close moment to Christ. And there are those moments of faith in which, having experienced tragedy, we can do nothing but turn over our sorrow and trust in the Lord.

But most of the time, our life here on Earth is work. Note that in today’s first reading, Paul uses that word three times in just twenty-seven words. He couples desire and work ... and then goes on to instruct the Philippians to “do everything without grumbling or questioning.” And in the Gospel, Jesus tells the crowds to “calculate the costs” before beginning construction in order to have the resources “to finish the work.”

Our work needn’t be distasteful. The Cursillo tripod of piety, study, and action serves us well in developing a discipline. Our private and communal prayer time; the wisdom we receive in studying scripture and other religious writings; and the experiences we have as we take our Christian values into all aspects of our lives are work. Sometimes, that work is easy; sometimes, it’s hard. Either way, when we make the Lord part of the planning process, we have faith that we will have the resources to finish.

Action

Invite Christ into your planning process for the day—every detail. Tonight, thank him for the wonders, large and small, that his presence brought.