Guest Column / Richard Etienne

Pray ‘for what we have done ... for what we have failed to do’

Have you ever pondered the deep significance of the words “… for what I have done, and for what I have failed to do”?

Talk about a lifetime of learning!

For example, how often have you thought about checking in with someone who might need encouragement at this time in life, might be working through some recent grief or might possibly be experiencing loneliness? What keeps you from following up on that idea today?

Have you ever seen a person shortly after arriving at church in your parish gathering area (narthex) and felt that God was calling you to go and talk to them?

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read, “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23-24).

Maybe you are not currently in the right place to follow through on an action that you know God would eventually favor—can you take the time to include this issue or intention in a Mass or your next private prayer session?

If you are anxious about a conversation and possibly concerned that the right words might not come out, could you consider texting or possibly writing a letter and sending it by old-fashioned “snail mail” so that you can carefully select each point that you want to communicate?

Or do you possibly have a gift or talent that God seems to be urging you to use for the building of the kingdom?

Why have you “failed to do” this in the past? What stops you from offering this gift to the parish or larger community right now, and how can you move beyond it?

I believe that my decision to write these columns was a direct response to an urging from the Holy Spirit. As this urging grew stronger, I had no choice but to act upon it.

Lastly, if your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, are there steps you could take in your normal routine that will make you a healthier temple for God to dwell in? What presently stops you from taking care of your “temple”?

Let’s continue to pray to God “for what we have done and for what we have failed to do” each and every day of our lives.
 

(Richard Etienne has a degree in theology from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad and resides in Newburgh, Ind.) †