By Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D., CATHOLIC EXCHANGE, May 6, 2008

Acts 20:17-27 / Jn 17:1-11a

If St. Paul had been an artist, he wouldn’t have been a painter of miniatures. He would have been a big picture man, painting heroic scenes on vast canvases, beckoning all to take heed and pay attention. That is surely how he lived his life, constantly asking new questions, thinking beyond the edges of his prior experience, and moving courageously into places and circumstances he’d never seen before.

Paul had a powerful sense of mission: to share the Good News with all peoples. And he not only started well, but finished well, remaining faithful to the very end to the vision that Jesus had given him.

For those of us somewhere in the middle of our life’s course, Paul is both an inspiration and a reassurance. His life tells us that, even in the face of weariness or mid-course ennui, we can make it to the finish line, we can be faithful to the life’s work that God has given us. As Paul said, “I can do all things in God Who strengthens me.”

Trust that, relax in the Lord, and enjoy the remarkable journey that is your life.