by Susan Rowland
"Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary. There are burning bushes all around you. Every tree is full of angels. Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb. Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels, but this can happen only if you are willing to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure." — A Tree Full of Angels, Macrina Wiedeker The 50 days of Easter has just finished and Ordinary Time begins. This is the juncture of the Liturgical year that stiches together the two more familiar cycles of the church. The Christmas cycle (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany) and the Easter cycle (Lent, Holy week, Easter, Pentecost). This year Ordinary Time began on June 6 and ends on November 26. It is somewhat ironic to observe the arrival of Ordinary Time when the world is experiencing such extraordinary events with significant future impact. It can be overwhelming to discern where our energy should focus. Many I know had hoped that 2022 would bring relief from the two years plus of Covid. The dream was 2022 would just be ordinary or normal, whatever that might be. This liturgical season is ordinary in name only, referring to how the weeks are numbered. But, it is not a time of bland rhythms or lack of inertia. It’s not a spiritual summer break, unless that is your calling. It is active, living hearts attuned to bold callings for change. Ordinary Time offers an invitation to reflection and action. It is a living out of all we have gathered through the celebrations of the other two cycles. The color of the season is green symbolizing a maturing and ripening within our Spirit as we reflect during these next weeks. I like to begin with a slow, repeated reading of Acts 2. Here we see the disciples begin to live what they have been taught through parables, the Sermon on the Mount, the bread of life story and so much more. They were surprised by the power that was available, they were just ordinary people now doing extraordinary things. There was no apathy with Jesus’ departure rather an incredible transfer of power to the disciples. Here are a few other suggestions that might help bring meaning to this season for you: * Reading the gospels, watching the Master of the Ordinary transform lives with simple encounters. * Evaluate your practices that may have been rich in Lent, that now feel stale. * Engage in a daily examen of gratitude that focuses on the simple parts of your life. As this season unfolds may you “unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure." By Susan Rowland
The way we love the people we disagree with is the best evidence we can offer that the tomb was really empty. -- Bob Goff I know the tomb is empty...on Easter Saturday that doesn’t feel good. On Sunday morning it feels great! Until I realize the tomb of my heart has some things left behind. That is where I shove everything I don’t know how to solve. Like how to make peace with those I don’t agree with on very complex issues as well as the mundane. (There is a right way to load the silverware in the dishwasher.) As I learn more of the Universal Christ* that would have me be more inclusive, that is kind of exciting. But, when the “issues” present themselves as important to the conversation how do I find a way to honestly listen and know how to respond? What are the ways we can truly listen to what might rub us the wrong way? We may hear the words and experience a visceral reaction. How can we listen deeper to what might be wanting to be understood? Can I pause and silently ask myself a few questions before I speak? * What brought this topic to our conversation? * Why was that said at this point? * Do I know what they mean? * How am I feeling in my body as I listen? With those pauses I might be able to love someone in a truly resurrected way. We are still in the 50 days of Easter. Watch for the opportunities to keep loving, keep listening, keep being present in a resurrected empty tomb kind of way! (I Corinthians 5:18-20A) *Richard Rohr – The Universal Christ Compassion-Centered Spiritual Direction: Internal Family Systems as a Model for Spiritual Companions4/20/2022
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