Daily Prayer & Reflection

It hardly seems possible that we have catapulted into January, past the Baptism of Jesus even! We are now firmly back into the seasonal 'Ordinary Time' and will stay there until Ash Wednesday which is very late this year -- March 5th.  I cannot imagine how this has actually happened, but...

"Ordinary Time' -- as we have mentioned before, there is nothing 'ordinary' about it...each and every week's readings for Liturgy reflect on some aspect of Jesus' life in His time in history, His culture by birth, and His role in God's plan for the salvation of this world and its people.  We have countless examples every week of lessons we should recognize and stories that are familiar.  Sometimes that seems to be the problem, 'oh, yes, have heard that one before'...hearing and recognizing the meaning of a story are two very different things.

Maybe we can take a breath during these quiet weeks before we find ourselves on the doorstep of Lent, and look at each Sunday's readings, sit with them, and ask ourselves what we can learn that could change our lives today? Can I find something in my day-to-day experience that is touched by the words I read and consider how I can grow and be stronger in my faith?  Can I see something new in Jesus in the Gospel that I never noticed before and let it speak to me?

Taking these few minutes each week could lead us on a whole new journey. Perhaps we could even be better prepared for the Lenten season this year in positive ways and with new goals...we won't know until we try it!