Since the invention of keeping a calendar or tracking time, people have developed thousands of ways to be more efficient. The success of planners demonstrates the market for organizational and planning tools. We, too, have developed student planners. Each year, we consult teachers and carefully plan every space to make it a useful, practical tool. The Foresight Forecast was intentionally designed to help students plan ahead.  

Yet with all this planning, here is my question: Are we planning for the only calendar date which matters in life—that is, the moment we encounter God, who is Love? What is our plan to prepare for this day? When it arrives, we can’t send a text to say, “Sorry, change of plans—can we meet tomorrow at 10:00?” The Gospel reminds us, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Mt. 25:13). Hence, it may be a good idea to cultivate the virtue of foresight and plan ahead.  

Now you may ask, “How can I do this?” Many saints, theologians, and spiritual writers offer tons of advice, and reading their books may help. However, I want to share sound advice from a wise Dominican, Fr. Bonaventure Perquin, O.P., from his book Abba Father. It is a collection of his talks that are simple and strike the heart. For example, in the chapter “Language of Heaven,” he suggests the following:  

“We need to find in Scripture some text, or passages, that will be the support, the inspiration, and the driving force of our life. It will help us to face our daily life with its times of darkness, trial, and temptation” (p. 194).  

He further demonstrates how the saints, Mary, and Simeon had Scripture texts that nourished and strengthened them. “The words they chose were engraved on their hearts, and they formed their lives around them, making them a pattern not only for their time on earth but for eternity, too” (p. 194).  

Let me encourage you to heed his sound advice and read the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will strike your heart and convict you of a passage that will transform and sustain you for that ultimate calendar date. Plan ahead, as “regrets only” doesn’t apply. 

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