Embracing Ordinary Time in a World of Extraordinary
Ordinary Time is well, ordinary.
Unlike Lent, that reminds us of sacrifice and repentance or Advent that leads us to renewal and preparation, Ordinary Time celebrates the everydayness of our faith.
The word ordinary carries with it a lot of "word baggage" that speaks of routine, commonalities, and sameness. In fact, ordinary has a bad rap in our culture of social media superabundance.
Thanks to Facebook, Instagram, and more, we are treated to a daily account of excitement filtered and exceptional, on every slide or video. While it’s fun to watch, it can lead us to believe that every day should be a feast, a celebration, a lesson in the extraordinary.
If we are honest, most of us live ordinary lives. We work, we eat, we care for others and ourselves. We keep our living spaces and pay bills, buy food, watch TV and listen to music. We engage with others at work and home in ordinary ways. We laugh, worry, cry. We do and feel the things that pass under our radar every day.
I’m not sure ordinary deserves the bad reputation it has. Living and loving each day has its merits. It sustains us. It brings us both happiness and sadness. It challenges us to grow in different ways.
Mary Beth Keenan, @mb_keenan.15
The ordinary keeps us going.
We need ordinary days.
As Christians, Ordinary Time is anything but dull. While the vestments remain the same and we are treated to small feasts, Ordinary Time reminds us of an ever-present God who walks with us amid our everyday life.
Our God doesn’t just show up for feasts and festivals with the fancy clothes, the huge meal prep and the lavish celebration.
Our God wants to be part of the daily grind, sharing in both the aggravations and the laughter.
God is in the laundry, the kiddo’s meltdowns, the daily prayer routine, and the struggles of each day.
We are the ordinary people of an extraordinary God.
Our God who walks with us through each day. He listens to us, loves us, and challenges us to be so much more than a social media post.
Our God loves us through our failures and laughs with us in our joys. These failures and joys, both big and small, happen daily in ordinary ways. God is with us in all of it.
Instead of looking forward to the next feast or season, let’s celebrate the ordinary.
Let’s relax in the sameness knowing that our ever present and faithful God is waiting for us in every moment of every day.
Let’s follow the readings for the day, take in the sunrise, bask in the sun in the summer, cuddle in the long dark winter.
Let’s enjoy the green vestments symbolizing hope. Because whether a feast day or an ordinary day, hope lives with our God who is with us.
Meet Kathy Schlossmacher
Kathy Schlossmacher is a retired high school Religion teacher living in Buffalo NY. A widow with three adult children and six grandchildren, Kathy did graduate work in Theology at St. John's University in NYC where she was born and raised. She currently does some freelance writing and enjoys books, music, and other hobbies.