To fill Ordinary Time with meaning, we need to figure out how to stay connected with Jesus
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We’re in a long stretch of Ordinary Time. In fact, because Easter is so late this year, we’ll spend all of February in Ordinary Time.
The secular calendar struggles with Ordinary Time, so it keeps rushing from one big event to the next: the Super Bowl, Spring Training, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, Opening Day and so on. Is it just me, or does it feel like the secular calendar is always needing to move quickly to the next celebration because none of them ever really satisfies our hearts?
How do we find meaning in Ordinary Time and fill our days with that meaning? I propose to you that it only happens in Jesus.
We look forward to these other events, make preparations for them and enjoy them. And there’s nothing wrong with that! But the fact is, they only connect us with passing realities. That’s why they never satisfy our search for meaning: because we were made for more than just passing realities.
Jesus, by contrast, connects us with something eternal. We long to connect with eternity, even in the midst of time. To fill Ordinary Time with meaning, we need to figure out how to stay connected with Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, we’re all going to die. After that we’ll rise and either live forever with Jesus or without Him. Which of those are we practicing on a day-to-day basis — living with Jesus or living without Him? Finding meaning and satisfaction in Ordinary Time hinges on that question.
How, then, do we stay “recollected” — connected with the eternal in the midst of time?
We look forward to events like the Super Bowl; we might start each day by asking Jesus how He will come into our life that day, and look forward to it. We prepare for events like St. Patrick’s Day; we might prepare our hearts for the way Jesus will show up each day, whether it’s in joy or in sorrow. We enjoy the return of the Cardinals in person, on TV and on the radio; we might learn to enjoy the presence of Jesus at Mass, in online resources and in prayer.
God whispers to us in our conscience. He speaks His word to us in the Bible. He becomes present to us in the flesh at Mass. Staying recollected requires giving our attention to those things on a regular basis.
We celebrate three saints this week: St. Angela Merici (Jan. 27), St. Thomas Aquinas (Jan. 28) and St. John Bosco (Jan. 31). All three found a way to stay recollected; all three found meaning that filled their days; all three mark paths for us.
When we plug into the life of Jesus, we can still look forward to, prepare for and enjoy the celebrations of the secular calendar. We just won’t look to them for more than they can offer. To fill Ordinary Time with eternal meaning, we need to look to Jesus.
