Tag: ordinary

When the Ordinary Prepares the Way for the Extraordinary

When the Ordinary Prepares the Way for the Extraordinary

Kids are really good at living in the moment.  It is what gives them the ability to swing from laughter to tears in a matter of seconds.  They can have great joy eating an ice cream cone and then become distraught with five minutes in time out.  Right now, right here is the most important thing for kids.

My niece is a prime example of both sides of this.  I gave her a mermaid tail blanket for a belated Christmas present.  She was enthused as she slipped it around her legs and then flopped along on the floor.  Coming to me, she grabbed my legs and exclaimed, “I look exactly like a mermaid, Trish!”  Contrast that scene with several weeks prior when she fought against the injustice of being forced to sit at the adult table while her two older brothers sat at a kid table.  “Not fair!” she sobbed, pointing at her brothers, “They get to sit at the little table!  No fair!”  A few minutes later, having switched places with one semi-willing brother, she was more than content.

Adults can be similar, but we also are more prone to live in the past or the future.  Sometimes we can forget that the present is all we really have.

Precious moments can slip away because they don’t come shrouded in the extraordinary.  Everyday moments, ones that are ordinary yet give life beauty, are some of the most treasured once they have passed.  I’ve heard it said that people often miss the ordinary moments when they lose people close to them.  I have found that to be true in my life.  My paternal grandfather died a few years ago and one of the things I miss most is giving him a hug before leaving his house and hearing him say, “Come again.”   Continue reading “When the Ordinary Prepares the Way for the Extraordinary” →

Captivated By a Baby

Captivated By a Baby

He is only five, but he seemed fixated by the scene unfolding before him.  A mother of a newborn baby girl was gently unzipping the covering, unfastening the safety restraints, and then cradling the baby in her arms.  My nephew is five years old, but he watched this all attentively.  It was at Christmas morning Mass and so I could not help but be struck by the fact that the attention was focused on a baby.

My nephew didn’t say anything as he watched this all unfold and I doubt he reflected on it later.  But it seemed fitting to me that such close attention was being paid to one in the same position that Christ Himself was in nearly two thousand years ago.  A baby, small and frail, cradled in the arms of a mother.

Jesus, though God, was fully human.  The arrivals of shepherds and wise men were most likely events by which He was unconcerned.  At birth, babies can typically see the 8-10 inches between their faces and their parents’ faces but not further.  So as Mary and Joseph are pondering the shepherds that came to kneel before their son, He is simply gazing into the face of His mother.   Continue reading “Captivated By a Baby” →

Ordinary

Ordinary

“What do your parents do?”
“My dad is a retired firefighter and now drives people at a retirement home.  My mom stayed home with us when we were young and now works as a receptionist at a clinic.”
“Hmm.  I thought it would be something different…I thought your dad would be a politician or something.”
“Nope.  My dad is pretty ordinary.”

Some of the people at the table laugh and one says that the next time he sees my dad, he will tell him that I said he is ordinary.

“What did they do to teach the faith?  Did you go to daily Mass?”
“No.  We prayed the rosary sometimes and usually prayers at night.  My parents just talked about the faith very openly and we always went to Mass on Sunday.  My parents are pretty ordinary.  They just did what they were supposed to: they were our primary educators in the faith.” Continue reading “Ordinary” →

When God Wills the Ordinary

When God Wills the Ordinary

It is incredibly easy for me to think that everyone else has a far better job than I do.  Over the past few years, I seem to have perfected the skill of viewing the neat ways that everyone else can live out their job as an apostolate for Jesus.  Yet I seem to miss the ways in which I can do the same thing…in a Catholic school…teaching Theology.

Parked outside the Cathedral the other day, I thought of how neat it would be to show up to such a place for work.  Wouldn’t it be neat to work for the Diocese?  Or I’ll go to a restaurant and think about how wonderful it could be to subtly evangelize while serving people their food.  Just a few weeks ago I had my students make lists of different secular jobs and then brainstorm ways to live the Gospel in the midst of such work.  And I can give you a decent list for most jobs that are not immoral.  I miss, however, the ability to live it out in the midst of a job that is so clearly evangelistic.

Because, so often, I want something else.  Something easy.  Something challenging.  Just something different than the lot I have been given. Continue reading “When God Wills the Ordinary” →