After celebrating the extraordinary time of Easter with its confirmations, first Communions and graduations, we now come again to Ordinary Time in the calendar of the Church.
What does Ordinary Time mean?
Ordinary Time is our ordinary life, our day-to-day life, where we are called to put into practice what, in an extraordinary way, we have just celebrated: life in Christ.
Just as a recently acquired degree may be necessary in order to work or continue a career, what we have acquired in extraordinary time is expected to be used now for a better living.
It is in this Ordinary Time when we hope that the good news of the resurrection, the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the joy of the celebration of the sacraments (especially the Eucharist and confession) are lived and practiced to enrich and grow in our life of faith and to make a difference in the lives of those who are in daily contact with us.
Knowledge and gifts are necessary, but they are useless if they are not used and shared daily with others. Having gifts and knowledge that are not used is like having a room full of diplomas that are withered from inaction.
Our faith calls us to a continuous encounter with the reality of life – life that cries out for a positive, joyful and attractive presence in the midst of a world that is in darkness due to the lack of respect for life and for the dignity of the human being. Life cries out for the right to live in all its states.
Our faith calls us to a continuous encounter with life that recognizes and values the dignity of work, especially the work of all those who, having left everything behind for a better future, help our country progress and grow. Life cries out to encourage the hope of our families, young and old.
It is in our ordinary life that Jesus, like he did with his first disciples, sends us to enlighten and transform that little square meter where we live with the joy of our faith and the good news.
One can make a difference, though usually not through extraordinary acts. On the contrary, it is in the ordinary, through our love and good company, that we make Jesus present so that the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Let us live our Ordinary Time like this.