Scripture:

'This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.' (Philippians 3.13-14)

Reflection:

St Paul, writing from prison, is so clear that the only thing that really matters is to follow his heart, to forget all the advantages he was born with, all the importance and status he earned, and all the hurts and pains he is now suffering. Having seen Jesus as the enemy and his crucifixion as the sign of his weakness, he has come to realise that actually it was his triumph. Nothing matters more to an Olympian than the gold medal; nothing in life, Paul has decided, matters more than aiming for perfection. It is his soul that will win his goal.

David Harmsworth