This is the time when the Catholic church enters “Ordinary Time” and is defined by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as the “time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ.”

When we look around us and face the myriad challenges of life, we undoubtedly would not use the word ordinary to describe the things we experience.  As people of faith, however, we accept life’s challenges with the reassurance that the Father is with us, the Son has laid out the path and the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to persevere.  When guided by faith, life is filled with the joy of what is to come and no matter the circumstances of our daily experiences, we always know there is something greater we are seeking.  With faith, we can meet every challenge and even though we may not change the world, the impact we can have on our small part is immeasurable. 

One’s ordinary life is never really ordinary when faith in God, the Son and Holy Spirit is at the center.  Through our faith we sow good relationships and love, we show compassion for those in need and find refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is quite normal that we experience storms in our lives and our faith is our shelter.  When we live in Him, nothing can truly defeat us, and death has no power over us.  We celebrate Mass when this life ends because we are acknowledging a life lived in faith and we celebrate new life in Christ.  We bury our dead because of the promise of the Resurrection and because we are never truly separate from those we love.   

This ordinary journey is meant to prepare us for the extraordinary.

God Bless 

Andrej Lah