Homily: Monday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time - Spiritual Growth

Now that the Christmas season is ended, we enter into a few weeks of Ordinary time before Lent, beginning early this year, on Wednesday, February 18.

It often feels strange to be wearing the color green in the middle of winter.  Under a few inches of snow, with the grey skies and bare trees, the color green is virtually absent.  Green usually symbolizes the color of fresh leaves and grass, the color of life, it symbolizes growth, and vitality, and hope.

The Green during Ordinary Time is to remind us Christians that we should be working hard on spiritual growth during this time.  Just because the green grass is dormant doesn’t mean we are allowed to be.

The Gospel gives several insights about spiritual growth this morning.

First Jesus says, that “this is the time of fulfillment”.  Jesus uttered those words 2000 years ago because God was breaking into history in a decisive way to fulfill his promises and bring his whole plan to completion. It was a turning point in history, when God entered creation personally to save us from our sins. 

But we hear these words at the beginning of Ordinary time, because God also breaks into our lives through grace.  Ordinary time can be a turning point, when we turn away from our selfish habits and sins, and turn more fully to a life of charity.  We can turn away from harboring grudges and make peace and work for reconciliation. He has a plan for the perfection of each of our souls, and we do well to cooperate with that.

Secondly, Jesus says, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Because we aren’t preparing for one of the great feasts like we do during Advent and Lent, Ordinary time can seem so-very ordinary.  Our lives can often seem so-very ordinary.  We see the same people every day, do the same tasks every day.  But when we are faithful disciples, even our ordinary day-to-day duties are transformed.  When we are faithful in small things or in large, we merit and grow in grace, and we infuse a little bit of heaven, into this fallen world.

Also, during ordinary time our hearts can be opened to a deeper experience of God’s kingdom already begun—Jesus living and reigning in the heart of the faithful Christian.  Through Baptism, faithful Christians carry with them God’s sanctifying grace—the presence of God. 

The great teachers of prayer like St. Theresa of Avila and John of the Cross show us the that the Christian is meant to develop in prayer.  All living things are meant to grow: acorns develop into oak trees, tadpoles into frogs, babies into adult men and women.  So too the soul is meant to grow through prayer in transforming union with God. 

We do well during Ordinary Time to read the great masters of prayer.  To allow them to teach us what it means to develop in mystical prayer and the experience of God’s abiding presence.

This is the time of fulfillment, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. May we grow in faith, hope, and charity this liturgical season, cooperating with God’s plan and in the experience of his reign for the glory of God and salvation of souls.