How many of you are tired? Tired of the pandemic, the masks, the hand sanitizer. Tired of politics. We want things to go back to the way they used to be, right? We’re starting to see kids go back to school, plans being made for events, people starting to go out again. Going back to how things used to be though… I think that is a mistake.
Only going back to the way things used to be would be a missed opportunity. Our society has been becoming increasingly self-centered, glaringly immoral. The things that evil men did in seedy back alleys at night in the past are now standard viewing and scenes that our children see on Netflix or Hulu. That’s why the Church gives us Ordinary Time. It’s a reminder, a count. It orders time towards Easter and the End of Time. Ordinary Time reminds us that the end of our own lives will happen, and for some, it might be today.
So no, we don’t want things to go back to the way they were. We want our lives to be in tune with the rhythms of the Church. To follow His example of praying at all times. Todays’ Gospel says, “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went to a deserted place, where he prayed.” The Catechism says this about it:
| 2698 The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the Eucharist, are kept holy primarily by prayer. The cycle of the liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian’s life of prayer. |
That last line: “The cycle of the liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian’s life of prayer. ” That’s what Ordinary Time is all about. The Church is the Body of Christ, and when we prayerfully follow its cycle, we begin to mold our lives to look more like the life of Christ than our own. The Basic Rhythm of human life is a heartbeat. Again, let’s not go back to the way things were; instead, let’s go forward living our lives as if we truly believe Jesus Christ is present body, soul, and divinity in our tabernacles. That behind the walls of those golden vessels beats the heart of God Himself, and He Has waited all of eternity just for you.
Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time: January 13th, 2021