It’s never too late to change for the better

A Reflection for the Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop

Find today’s readings here.

Sometimes I wonder if I am different from the person I used to be, and whether that’s a good or a bad thing. And then I think: 20 years from now, will I be a different person from who I am today? I don’t always know how to feel about that. Sometimes, change can feel overwhelming, even in small amounts.

But the first reading today teaches us that change doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. In fact, we always have the ability to change for the better. We are always changing—there is no way around that fact. Every day we are a slightly different person from the day before. And that can be a good thing, if we see change as an opportunity to make things better than they were. 

I spend a lot of time worrying about potential negative changes, both in our world and in myself. But it’s important to remember that we have the ability to control change—to guide it, push it forward, or stop it altogether. Sometimes when the world is moving too fast and beginning to spin out of control, we must be the ones to slow it down. That feels impossible at times, especially when the forces of negative change are so heavy and so powerful, but they will never be as powerful as mercy and kindness. 

We have to remember that we are the ones steering the ship. We have the ability to harness the power of change and point it in the right direction, just like how we have the ability to point ourselves in the right direction. If we keep our God and each other close, we can grow and change in the way that we were meant to, and the world can grow and change with us.