Homily: Tuesday - 8th Week of Ordinary Time - Orderly Christian Life (School Mass)

After five weeks of Lent, Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, Easter, seven weeks of Paschaltide, and Pentecost, we’ve returned to Ordinary Time.  We will observe Ordinary Time, from now until the end of the liturgical year in November.  The major seasons of the Church year, Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, bring with them extraordinary anticipation, preparations, rituals, customs. And Ordinary Time seems, well, so ordinary.

We often use the word ‘ordinary’ to describe things that are unremarkable, commonplace, or dull.   The word ‘ordinary’ though, comes from the latin word ordinalis, which also means ordered, counted, orderly, regimented. 

Just as Ordinary time is ordered, orderly, regimented, steady and consistent, so our own spiritual lives should take on the characteristics of this liturgical season.  Consistency in our daily prayer, regimented in our generosity and kindness, steady in our daily imitation of Jesus, and continuous openness to being challenged to growing in holiness. 

During Ordinary Time we seek to say with Peter in the Gospel today, “Lord, We have given up everything and followed you.”  What’s keeping you from following Jesus as you should? Is sports practice keeping you from getting to Mass as you should? Are video games keeping you from praying as you should? Is selfishness keeping you from being generous as you should?

I know what you are thinking, “giving things up” that sounds like Lent. Well, there is an old Benedictine order whose motto is “Semper Quadragesima”—always Lent. They try to practice the prayer, fasting, and almsgiving of Lent all year round.  And so should we. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving should be practices of our Ordinary Christian Life—they are perfect practices for Ordinary Time.

Saint Peter writes “for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials” that we may show the genuineness of our faith to be more precious than fire-tried gold.  “Giving things up” that we enjoy for the sake of our faith shows that we believe our faith to be more precious, more important than any earthly pursuit. 

Jesus says to Peter, that we will receive 100 times more than we give up. So we should not be afraid in being disciplined and regimented in our spiritual lives, trusting Jesus, that we will be blessed in what we give up for his sake. 

As Summer Vacation quickly approaches remember that we can take no vacation from our faith. Make sure before vacation starts you have a regiment, a routine that you will follow, in praying daily, attending Mass weekly, reading from scripture regularly, performing acts of kindness often, fasting from desserts and video games here and there.  

God who is holy, seeks to make each of us holy. May we cooperate with the transforming grace of God in the ordinary circumstances of our lives, who seeks to heal us, strengthen us, and perfect us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.