But the good thing is we discover new oceans and new shores. In John s Gospel Jesus says, unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain, but if it dies it yields a rich harvest. Arriving at maturity involves letting go of dependencies. To put it in the language of Jesus in today s Gospel, to become mature and discover new oceans and new shores means carrying our cross. Becoming what we are called to be, realizing our potential will mean making choices and giving up some attachments.
Life means taking risks.
Not every venture does win. To use the language of Jesus in today s Gospel, some people intending to build a tower aren t able to complete it. Or some kings going to war with ten thousand see twenty thousand facing them and send envoys to sue for peace. We have all experienced failure of one kind or another. Surely each of us has experienced the attempt to build a tower of some kind and realized too late after starting that we could not complete it.