Catholic Church's Ordinary Time for Extraordinary People.

We Catholics are now living  in a liturgical season that we call "Ordinary Time," a pause in the action between Christmastide and Ash Wednesday.

Doesn't it sound strange and a little bit funny to solemnly announce before each Sunday Mass: "Today is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time?" What is so ordinary about coming together to pray and celebrate the Eucharist?  We are engaged in holy stuff that has been passed on to us from our ancestors in the Faith.  That's really extraordinary.

I think of all those in my family who carried on in the Faith which was passed onto them from their forebearers. They lived ordinary lives, I suppose, but to me their influence is far from ordinary. Their faith in God, love for the Church and devotion to family was handed on to me and my family like an heirloom, precious and with an urgent message.

The Gospel is that message and I am so grateful to have received it.

I guess I'll let the liturgists have their way with "ordinary time," as long as they allow me space to
display  the black and white images of  men and women posing in farmyards and on the running boards of old Buicks. It's a lively gallery, that room in my heart.

I want to remember the ordinary times of ordinary people. I want to remember mothers whose kids peek from behind their aprons or are caught in stop-motion, running toward swings in backyards that are long gone. Uncles and Aunts are still smiling and warming my soul from someplace way back there in times that were ordinary to them, but extraordinary to me.
















 

Testimony Time in the Catholic Church

Two women spoke at Mass today in support of our parish school in anticipation of Catholic School Week which kicks off next Sunday.  Amy spoke at the 11:30 AM Mass and Terry spoke at the 7 PM Mass. They both spoke after Holy Communion.

Amy related the story of how she and her husband decided to send their children to our school. They went to open houses at six schools and chose Holy Trinity because of its strong, spiritual leadership and its foreign language program (French and Spanish), not to mention it's high academic standards.
Developing faith in their children is of paramount importance for Amy and her husband Mike.

Terry and her husband chose Holy Trinity for its academic excellence and for the Christian values upheld by the teachers. The main reason they send their children to Holy Trinity is a simple these two words, "Jesus Christ."

Each woman spoke for about fifteen minutes. People listened and applauded after each presentation.
I think it felt good to them to hear a parishioner speak of a personal faith in Christ. We need to do more of this...giving what our Protestant friends call "testimony."

When you get up before the community and speak about what God had done and is doing in your life
that's a necessary element to our practice of the Faith. The testimony is concrete evidence that what the priest is talking about in the homilies is really being felt and lived by at least one person in the community.

We celebrate scriptures and Eucharist on Sunday but testimont time is usually missing. We need to bring it back.
 

Adoration, Fresh Ideas

Last night I joined a small group of young adults for an hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Mostly, I wasn't distracted.  In fact, I'm starting to wonder if I can tell the difference between a distraction and a fresh idea, another angle on my meditation.

My distractions usually pop up as a work I think I should do soon or a temptation that I need to face now. Both of these movements of my spirit get in the way of the Holy Spirit.  When the great masters of prayer encourage  novices to empty themselves of the noise of life as a first step in meditation, they sure are right. But, the person praying needs to aknowledge the temptation or deal with the proposed project, not simply try to ignore them.

Try to fight a temptation through an act of will. Very hard to do. Better to face the enemy and negotiate terms. "I see you.  I hear you, there. There in my awareness. Take a hike for awhile and I'll get back to you. Right now, I need to --I want to -- pray.

What about the work agenda taking form in my soul?  That too can be dealt with reasonably. "O.K. I'll give you two minutes.  We'll plan together but then I am going to put you in a box marked 'Later.'
Right now, I want to pray.  I want to be aware of the presence of Him who is beyond my plans."

I make dealing with distractions sound simple and, of course, it's not simple at all. But showing up is.
What if your entire hour, the hour you planned to spend in silence in the Lord's presence --what if that entire hour is taken up with swatting away temptations and projects like so many annoying humbugs?  Well, if you did not succumb, you followed the Lord's request, "Come and rest awhile." You prayed because you showed up and stayed.

Last night, the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance was surrounded by red and white pointsettias set around the altar. The star of bethlehem shone big and bright over the manger scene. The colored  lights sparkled on the evergreens displayed in the backgound of the sanctuary.

The young people did not stir for the hour.

I don't know what went on in their souls, but I think among my distractions were some fresh graces.
I want to go back for more.  I hope the young people do, too.




 

Epiphany, 2013

In the sanctuary this morning, the Christmas lights are still twinkling a rainbow of colors on the green branches of the pine trees.  In this way, the Church bravely plows ahead with the continuing announcement that the Light has come into our dark world. It is Epiphany, 2013.

Darkness is an apt metaphor for the sin that shrouds our world. It is dark in Syria where nearly 50,000 people, mostly poor, have been killed by an oppressive regime. It is dark, too in the hearts of those who think that the proper response to the massacre of little children at Sandy Hook is to arm themselves (and us) with firepower equal to any attacker's arsenal.I think that revenge and paramilitary possees are ugly responses to the heartbreak of mothers and fathers who mourn with horror of the assasination of their children.

Our senators and representatives flail in the darkness of self-interest along with fear of the dangers they may have to face for making tough decisions.  Meanwhile, seventy-days of inaction after Hurricane Sandy has left thousands of people in misery, worried as to whether they can rebuild their homes, and their lives.

At the close of this year, my own city recorded its 500th slaying. Chicago's city streets are murky
and the street lights have been shot out. It's Lights Out! for poor people there, too.

Then, there are the demons roaming around in our own hearts seeking a dark place to hide and stay awhile.  Sandy Hook and Hurricane Sandy have brought them out to play.

When Jesus was asked if he were the messiah he said, "Go and report to John (the Baptist) what you have seen: The deaf hear, the blind see, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." (Mt 11:4 0

Believers who come to Mass this Sunday, Epiphany 2013, will hear the gospel of the three wise men who followed the star all the way to the Light-Child, Jesus. In our poverty, we who walked in darkness have seen a great light. (Isaiah 9:2) We will carry that light out of the Church and into a waiting world.