Now that summer is here we find ourselves in the midst of a different schedule than the rest of the year. Now is the time of year we enjoy cookouts, camp-outs, biking, hiking, swimming, picnics, outings for ice cream and so many classic American summer activities. Yet at the same time the whole of summer falls during the Liturgical Season of Ordinary Time. I would like to propose a reflection that to my knowledge is a personal one. Yet as I was praying with this I felt compelled to share it.
The many blessings we have as Catholics are so jam packed with goodness, joy and grace; the Eucharist, the Liturgy, the Sacraments, the Scriptures, the Magisterium, the Angels, the Saints, and if I keep going this post would be a list. All of these great gifts to us in our Catholic faith offer to us the opportunity to grow, to learn, to live God's will, to love unconditionally, and to have a solid prayer life and relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. The Liturgical Calendar is more than just a way to count time. It is a means to draw us into the mysteries of our faith and to grow deeper in them.
Think about it - Advent, a time of quiet preparation for Christ's coming as an Infant, into our hearts, and at the end of time, falls during the loudest, busiest, and sometimes most stressful times of the year. This season challenges us and reminds that we are living in this world but are not of this world. It is here where the rubber meets the road and we are truly stretched into the peaceful silence of meditating on the Incarnation. Lent, a time of fasting and almsgiving, falls at a time of year where spring is slowly emerging from the winter darkness and we are challenged to take on a deeper commitment to growth in prayer so as to strengthen our relationship with Christ. This discipline of fasting and deeper prayer in the midst of our secular culture's indulgence in entertainment and fast food is one that again reminds us that we are in this world and not of the world. This also reminds us that to truly enter into this kind of fasting we need to safeguard our participation in the sometimes frivolous affairs of our secular culture.
Yet, during this quiet, relaxing, recreation packed time of summer we find ourselves in Ordinary Time. Many might think "Why aren't the hard Liturgical Seasons where I have to do a lot of prayer and extra work on my relationship with God during less busy times?" This question has a few answers - 1. God wants to challenge us; He wants us to live in His will and not our own; He wants us to be detached from the things that surround us. 2. If we think we only have to work on our prayer life and relationship with God during those times of the year we are missing part of the big picture. The ordinariness of Ordinary Time doesn't mean that in the faith department we are on vacation. If we think that way we have compartmentalized our lives. We are called to live as a whole and not as many parts divided.
So here we are, July 5th, in the heart of summer, most likely the majority of us having enjoyed some fine BBQ food and fireworks yesterday. Yet in the midst of these festivities, relaxations, and summer activities, how is our relationship with the Lord? Are we going to Mass each Sunday, even if we are on vacation? Are we taking prayer time? Are we participating fully in the Sacramental life? Asking these questions is good but we also have to do something about it when we find the answer. So many opportunities present themselves to us to grow in our faith during the summer: daily Mass on vacation (or always J), praying the Rosary in a park, visiting Adoration a little more, attending a retreat or parish mission.
Let's all, this summer, enjoy both the light of the sun and the Light of the Son! Delving into this anew will make for us a fall of many blessings after being refreshed and filled with grace, if we but seek it.
Written by Nicolette
