From the Deacon’s Desk 5/30/2021
Dear Friends:
Last Monday we once again entered into “Ordinary Time.” The long season of Lent and Easter, which lasted approximately 14 weeks, is over. We are back to basic green on our altar, priest and deacon vestments. It always amused me that we call the period from now until the First Sunday of Advent “Ordinary Time.” There is nothing ordinary about this season. It’s the time when we hear about most of Jesus’ miracles and his relationships with his Apostles, disciples, the rich and poor, the sick, and the leadership of the Temple. Actually, when you think about it, “Ordinary Time” is anything but ordinary. For example, today is Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is one of our most profound mysteries. Three persons each with his own job to do in one person. The Trinity shows us the way to holiness and love. The Trinity is the way to God in daily life. The Trinity is certainly not ordinary!
Jesus spends much of his time with ordinary people. Oh sure, he gets involved with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes and the High Priest, but most of the time he’s with ordinary people doing ordinary things, helping them with their ordinary lives. So if we think our lives are ordinary, I guess it’s not such a bad place to be. If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us too!
Maybe it’s a good time for us to think about what we can do with the ordinary part of our lives. At our Baptism, our parents, or we ourselves, promised to do our best to spread the word of Jesus to the ordinary people around us. Well, here we are in “Ordinary Time” with our ordinary lives hopefully getting ready to share our faith with our ordinary friends, neighbors and family.
Jesus tells us not to be afraid. The challenge is to live good Christian lives every day. Worship God, pray daily, receive Holy Eucharist on Saturday afternoon or Sunday and reconcile ourselves with our God and with each other. Sounds pretty ordinary to me, but you know it really isn’t. It’s taking something like ordinary lives and making them holy and pleasing to God and each other.
Peace and All Good!
Deacon Jim