We are God’s Work of Art
Reflection by Sister Marcella Nachreiner OSF
There is no such state as normal retirement time, where we can live on the rewards of past accomplishments.
Everything, even time, is a gift. Everything is God’s. Our holy father, St. Francis, has taught me that I am merely a humble steward, holding everything in trust and enjoying God’s reward without being attached to anything.
This in turn leads me to ponder and pray over the miracle of just being thankful for all of what and who I’ve come to be so far. I’ve come to realize that my birth was just a beginning, a first step in the continuous series of births.
St. Paul says, “We are God’s work of art created in Jesus Christ to live the good life…” We are people, unique individuals, mysteries that are continuously being revealed and discovered. We are in process, always becoming and never finished. We are so very unfinished, even though we want to be more than we are now. Yet, we are never finished being who we are. It seems to me that this unfinishedness of ours is all right if we are searching for completeness with our God; as long as we are open to all that is within us; remaining peaceful deep inside and knowing that there is much to discover about God, ourselves and others.
Grant us the grace, O God, like our holy father St. Francis, to continue to hear your call to rebirth – that rebirth that will make us free and open to your life. It takes so long to bring ourselves to birth, a lifetime, and we become so impatient. Help us, O God, not to fear the mistakes, the failures, or the anxieties that come with growth, that true growth which helps us to shape our hearts into yours. Grant us the grace of greater trust in you, that we may rest content in the silence of your love and knowledge.
