Well, the holidays are over, the glitz and glamour are gone, it'll be some weeks until the thought of Easter...a very ordinary time of year with nothin' special going on. Almost a letdown. The sun rises, the sun sets, the seasons change; these are all rhythms, pulses and patterns that we live with day in and day out. This ordinary time, as lackluster as it may be, does add immensely, however, to our life and gatherings. We mark time with all these changes. Some people live with the rhythm of the tides, some who are not retired mark time each day by the alarm clock or a commuter train that brings them home from work.
Finding God during the high times of Christmas and Easter is easy but how do we find God speaking to us in our daily lives, which sometimes can be quite a grind, common and ordinary with nothin' special going on? We are challenged to slow down, to listen to God's voice always, each day. We are called to help the poor, to be merciful, to pray for others in every season not just the big times, but always.
Who are those individuals, right among us, who need our assistance, our prayers, our forgiveness? We are not prompted by end of the year deductions, charitable organizations with their hand out or special causes. No, we are simply prompted by nothin' special during this ordinary time. If we are able find God in ordinary places of our day: in our daily rhythms of our work, play,our rest and wakefulness, our laughing and worrying, just imagine how the high holy days of our year will be!
