Wis 13:1-9 Ps 19:2-3, 4-5ab Lk 17:26-37

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

Luke’s gospel speaks of our own accountability in life. This is not only a question of our responsibility towards other people and commitments, but rather in the end being accountable for the decision we made and then letting go of it.

It seems that no matter how hard I work in my life as an undergrad there is always one more paper, one more quiz, one more reading, one more test, one more class, one more commitment, one more demand that I must complete before I am able to…[fill in the blank]… If I just maintain everything that I have now then eventually I will live more fully. My accountability to my professors, my parents, and my peers, keeps me diligently completing the tasks at hand in hopes that someday I get everything right.

College is often viewed to be about preparing for a future, planning for a career, and processing a plethora of life’s more challenging questions. The possibilities paralyze me at times.

The reality is life has this uncanny ability to change and plans fall through. We do not have the advantage of knowing the future. In the end, we get to say, “This is how I used my time and I am responsible. I did what I could with what I had at the time.” It is the same idea when we hand in a paper, a project, or a test and then walk away. The accountability belongs only to me.

Luke’s gospel says, “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it; but whoever loses it will save it.” We do not get to hold on to the past or the future, but rather we must be accountable to our present life.