Even though the Easter season ended with the Feast of Pentecost just a few days ago, I struggle to call the season we’re entering “ordinary.” Nothing these days seems to be what we expect. Every day, we seem to have a new executive order or new information that changes the way we live our life. Far from ordinary, if you ask me. And now, after months of sheltering in place, many of us are starting to venture out into the world outside our homes. For some, this season could be the Finally-I’ve-Been-Waiting-For-This Time. For others, it may be the Leaving-My-House-Gives-Me-A-Panic-Attack Time. Neither of those are particularly ordinary. But, either way, this time is the beginning of a new and potentially scary way to live our lives.
I would imagine it was similar for the Apostles. After the feast of Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit, they were strengthened and emboldened to live the new life that Jesus called them to; a life of action to match what they knew and believed to be true. But it also meant that they had to do it and not just think or talk about it.
The same is true for us. Ordinary Time is the time in the liturgical calendar when we live the life that Jesus calls us to live. It’s when we put into practice all that we’ve learned about Jesus and from Jesus through the other seasons of the church calendar. It’s where the rubber of our lives meets the road of discipleship. After all, Jesus didn’t call us to be passive receivers of the Gospel. He called us to follow Him, to preach the Gospel, to baptize, and to live The Way.
So, as we venture out into the world around us in the next few weeks and months, in both cases, this is the time to start putting into practice what we know to be true, right, and good whether that be in our spiritual life or in our physical life. We can’t just think about it. We have to do it.
Copyright 2020 Laura B. Nelson
This article was originally published at CatholicMom.com and is shared here with permission.
