😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. What’s your favorite season? I imagine your mind immediately went to spring, summer, fall, or winter, right? But what about the seasons of life and work? Seasons of joy, pain, relationships? Seasons of growth, journey, and rest? Seasons of highs and lows? Seasons of purpose, on top of the game and those seasons of feeling unnoticed and worthless. There are a great variety of seasons that we work through in our lives and journey with the Lord. Sometimes we just need a Spiritual shot in the arm to propel us into the next season of our journey with the Lord. Within the Catholic church, we have a variety of seasons…Advent, Christmas, Lenten, Easter, and Ordinary Time. Yep, you read that correctly, Ordinary Time. Well that sound exciting, right?
Two Sundays ago kicked off the season of Ordinary Time with the Gospel of Matthew 11: 25-30.
At that time Jesus said in reply, “I give praise to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned You have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.”
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
On the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time we heard from the Gospel of John 1: 29-34
The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the One of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because He existed before me.’ I did not know Him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that He might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon Him. I did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, He is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God.”
We’re only two weeks into Ordinary Time and already the Lord has offered to reveal Himself to us if we simply come to him with childlike faith, not to be confused with childishness. It is the Son who first desires to reveal Himself and all His gifts and grace to us before we even know of Him. If we choose to evenly yoke ourselves with the Lord in meek and humble service, we will find work with Him isn’t such a burden and He will give rest that no other can provide. I have to tell you, Baptism is my favorite sacrament to witness. For me, it brings with it an overwhelming joy of knowing that the Holy Spirit has been gifted upon and into the life of a person. Although we are not always ready to accept or even realize that when we receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism, that is our ordination into discipleship. To paraphrase John, “I did not know Him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that He might be made know.” For being in a season of Ordinary Time, it sure feels extraordinary. Let the living, true word of God be the extraordinary in your ordinary seasons of life. Bless others and be blessed.
#JeremyCamp – Living Word
Third Day Devotions 