“ Where Am I Going ?

Years ago, I remember being in a large Paris train station…many trains were next to each other… if I get on one and you get on the one next to me …we may travel together for a significant time…hey, there’s no difference…but at some point they diverge … you go north and I go south and we end up in very different places. It’s the fundamental choice we make… at some point, despite obstacles, we will arrive where we have decided. At the beginning it doesn’t seem to matter…. we’re both in a train only feet apart. At the end we may be in different countries, thousands of feet apart. 

Experts in air navigation have a rule of thumb known as the 1 in 60 rule. It states that for every 1 degree a plane veers off its course, it misses its target destination by 1 mile for every 60 miles you fly. This means that the further you travel, the further you are from your destination. If you were trying to get from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., you’d end up on the other side of Baltimore, 42.6 miles away. If the trip is from the earth to the moon, the 1 degree error will put you over 4,000 miles off target… OOOOOOPS ! Only a one degree error can cause a lot of problems. Constant course corrections are very important.

Okay, this is getting a bit complicated, so what’s the point?

First, to get to our desired destination, we need to know where we want to go and set out on the right track. 

Secondly, we need to regularly check to see if we’re still on the right track and make appropriate course corrections as needed.

Well, we’re trying to get to heaven, so we need to follow the directions that Jesus gives to us. ^“Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) 

We also need to check how we’re doing…a good examination of conscience. Am I still on track ? Am I following the commandments…am I loving God and my neighbor?  We can check on this daily in our prayer and periodically while on retreat or meeting with a spiritual advisor. 

We have quite a journey and we need to pay attention to where we’re going,…..and check to see if we are on target to get there. And let’s also remember that not correcting small errors or small sins, can lead to big errors or big sins down the road. 

Okay, that’s enough navigation for now. Let’s keep moving and enjoy the ride.