Devotion for today: The need for order

Today begins the Church Season known as Ordinary Time.

Scripture for meditation: Isaiah 42: 6-8

I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring our prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. I am the Lord; this is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.

The New Testament tells us: Matthew 4:23

Jesus toured all of Galilee. He taught in their synagogues, proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom, and cured the people of every disease and illness.

What is Ordinary Time?
The rhythm of the liturgical seasons reflects the rhythm of life — with its celebrations of anniversaries and its seasons of quiet growth and maturing. Ordinary Time, meaning ordered or numbered time, is celebrated in two segments: from the Monday following the Baptism of Our Lord up to Ash Wednesday; and from Pentecost Monday to the First Sunday of Advent. This makes it the largest season of the Liturgical Year. In vestments usually green, the color of hope and growth, the Church counts the thirty-three or thirty-four Sundays of Ordinary Time, inviting her children to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ – his life, miracles and teachings – in the light of his Resurrection. If the faithful are to mature in the spiritual life and increase in faith, they must descend the great mountain peaks of Easter and Christmas in order to "pasture" in the vast verdant meadows of tempus per annum, or Ordinary Time. Sunday by Sunday, the Pilgrim Church marks her journey through the tempus per annum as she processes through time toward eternity. (http://www.catholicculture.org/)

Prayer: For the Grace to Do God’s Will
Grant me grace, O merciful God, to desire ardently all that is pleasing to Thee, to examine it prudently, to acknowledge it truthfully, and to accomplish it perfectly for the praise and glory of Thy name. Amen. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

My thoughts: It sounds as though Ordinary Time is anything but “ordinary”. It is the time in the Church year where we are given the public life of Jesus to study, in order to find the strength and knowledge necessary for the day to day task of living a holy life. It is here that we will hear of Christ’s many miracles, read of the Kingdom of God, and learn of the trials and struggles Jesus faced as He brought the Good News to the World. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, as He is the One who brings us light, cures our sickness, and frees us from the dungeon of sin. What a great opportunity we now have to spend time concentrating on the messages Christ eagerly has in store for each and every one of us!

Our prayer to God: It follows that after we pack up our Christmas decorations, clean our homes, make our resolutions, and start our new year that we once again desire some order and structure. Ordinary time gives us that structure. Let us ask God for the determination to keep a daily prayer time where we can meditate, in a calm and orderly fashion, on the life and teachings of His Son, so that, like Thomas Aquinas, we may find the way to live our lives “for the praise and glory” of God’s name.