An Ordinary Day at Work Become Extraordinary
An ordinary day at work for me today. No special projects, no pressing meetings or calls. It'll be the kind of day that illustrates the phrase "daily grind." You go from one thing to the next, nothing new or exciting, just get the work done. And in the midst of it, you maybe remind yourself that it's not so bad, especially remembering that last crisis you had to deal with that kept sucking out your mental and physical energy until your were ready to raise a white flag and declare, "Enough!"
For some reason, this particular ordinary day brings the term "Ordinary Time" to mind. That's how the Church characterizes these days between Pentecost and the First Sunday of Advent. I used to think that the term was intended to offset the mundane from the sublime. I figured that the Seasons of of Advent and Christmas, then Lent and Easter, were so special that everything else paled in comparison - thus the "ordinary." But that's not what "Ordinary Time" means.
Ordinary Time is a translation from the Latin "Tempus per annum," literally time during the year. It simply indicates order, not ordinariness. The Church calendar orders these days in recognition of our primary goal in life: to know, love, and serve God.
In that light, you notice that the order of every day during the year - with the exception of Good Friday and Holy Saturday (until the Easter Vigil) centers around the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. While most laymen don't pray the Liturgy of the Hours, many of us do have access to daily Mass. That in itself is extraordinary, isn't it? We can receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ every day, if we so order ourselves. What better way to assure that our every thought, word, and deed throughout the day serves to know, love, and serve God than to avail ourselves of the graces that flow from our reverent reception of Holy Communion?
For many religious, the day also includes praying the Liturgy of the Hours: those times when either the individual or the entire gathered community pray common prayers recommended by Holy Mother Church for all her children throughout the world. Knowing that not all of us lead the kind of life that permits this ordered prayer, our religious brothers and sisters pray the Liturgy of the Hours for the good of all our Holy Church, and that includes us.
Holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, celebrated throughout the world, every day, provides a unity in practice shared by every Catholic, no matter their race, color, or national origin. Awesome, isn't it? And while anything practiced daily can become "routine," we Catholics understand this human tendency and do our best to stay alert, to keep our minds and hearts focused on prayers when we pray, and on the task at hand when we work. We don't always succeed, but our good intentions will always sanctify all our prayers, works, joys and sufferings.
With this in mind, I now approach my ordinary day at work. It doesn't matter that nothing exciting, or even interesting will land on my plate today. I'll do my best to stay alert; I'll keep my mind and heart focused on my prayers and the task at hand while I'm working.
The daily grind can be transformed from the ordinary into something extraordinary. Rather than looking forward to lunch, and, after that, the end of the work day, I will, by the grace of God, work for His greater glory.
To repeat: Ad maiorem Dei gloriam - for the greater glory of God.
And that's how my ordinary day at work, during this Ordinary Time of the year, will become extraordinary.
For some reason, this particular ordinary day brings the term "Ordinary Time" to mind. That's how the Church characterizes these days between Pentecost and the First Sunday of Advent. I used to think that the term was intended to offset the mundane from the sublime. I figured that the Seasons of of Advent and Christmas, then Lent and Easter, were so special that everything else paled in comparison - thus the "ordinary." But that's not what "Ordinary Time" means.
Ordinary Time is a translation from the Latin "Tempus per annum," literally time during the year. It simply indicates order, not ordinariness. The Church calendar orders these days in recognition of our primary goal in life: to know, love, and serve God.
In that light, you notice that the order of every day during the year - with the exception of Good Friday and Holy Saturday (until the Easter Vigil) centers around the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. While most laymen don't pray the Liturgy of the Hours, many of us do have access to daily Mass. That in itself is extraordinary, isn't it? We can receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ every day, if we so order ourselves. What better way to assure that our every thought, word, and deed throughout the day serves to know, love, and serve God than to avail ourselves of the graces that flow from our reverent reception of Holy Communion?
For many religious, the day also includes praying the Liturgy of the Hours: those times when either the individual or the entire gathered community pray common prayers recommended by Holy Mother Church for all her children throughout the world. Knowing that not all of us lead the kind of life that permits this ordered prayer, our religious brothers and sisters pray the Liturgy of the Hours for the good of all our Holy Church, and that includes us.
Holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, celebrated throughout the world, every day, provides a unity in practice shared by every Catholic, no matter their race, color, or national origin. Awesome, isn't it? And while anything practiced daily can become "routine," we Catholics understand this human tendency and do our best to stay alert, to keep our minds and hearts focused on prayers when we pray, and on the task at hand when we work. We don't always succeed, but our good intentions will always sanctify all our prayers, works, joys and sufferings.
With this in mind, I now approach my ordinary day at work. It doesn't matter that nothing exciting, or even interesting will land on my plate today. I'll do my best to stay alert; I'll keep my mind and heart focused on my prayers and the task at hand while I'm working.
The daily grind can be transformed from the ordinary into something extraordinary. Rather than looking forward to lunch, and, after that, the end of the work day, I will, by the grace of God, work for His greater glory.
To repeat: Ad maiorem Dei gloriam - for the greater glory of God.
And that's how my ordinary day at work, during this Ordinary Time of the year, will become extraordinary.
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