Blessings of the “In Between”
Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history. (Definition of Ordinary Time from USCCB)
This blog post is a little different for me because it isn’t about a part of Scripture from the Mass for this weekend. Instead, since this is the last Sunday before we begin our Lenten journey, I felt called to reflect on Ordinary Time, or as I like to call it the “in between.”
So much of life, for my family at least, is spent looking forward to the next celebration, vacation, feast or family gathering. I have to admit the distractions of life can often make this more difficult.
There is a constant stream of things coming at us from every angle: TV, movies, music, social media… not to mention the barrage of commercials telling us what next thing we need in order to be happy or enjoy life, like the newest iPhone, the fanciest car, or the biggest house.
Even within our faith life, we can get caught in the trap of going from Christmas to Easter without stopping to enjoy the “in between.” Unfortunately, this isn’t the most healthy way of living and we can get spiritually and physically run down by trying to stay on the perpetual high of excitement and not taking time to just rest.
If we do take the time to stop and look at the life of Christ in scripture, the “in between” is mostly quiet and left peacefully – not intruded upon by being written about. We don’t hear about Jesus working in the shop with Joseph or Mary making dinner for Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath meal. We don’t even hear about the milestones of Jesus’ first words, steps, or childhood life. The New Testament goes from birth to ministry with only one story of Jesus getting lost for a few days. No other details are given.
I like to imagine that the lives of the Holy Family were not that different from our own with moments spent enjoying each other’s company, like maybe growing a garden together, telling stories around a fire, singing, laughing, and feeling blessed that God gave them the gift of each other with which to walk through life. I am sure there were moments when they even had to apologize to and forgive each other for falling short.
When I take the time to reflect on Christ’s “in between,” I am able to see the blessings in my own ordinary time more clearly. Instead of being stressed out by all the appointments blocked out on my calendar for swim team practice, orthodontist appointments, school, work, and other necessary obligations, I am able to look forward to our own little moments…. our own “in betweens.” Listening to my daughter singing in the car, stopping to enjoy watching a train pass by us on the road, laughing while seeing wild turkeys on someone’s lawn, and even watching snowflakes fall on the windshield while sitting at a red light, become moments to treasure and to praise God for, instead of annoyances that are keeping us from getting to our destination.
There is a sign my sister has hanging in her house that I feel speaks to this “in between” time. It says, It’s the Journey, not the Destination. I invite you these last few days before Lent to try to make a list of your blessings of the “in between” and I promise you that the more you take time to notice them, the more little blessings you will have. Then give thanks to God for them, because they are constant love letters from Him.
Loving merciful God, thank You for the blessings of Ordinary Time in our lives. Thank you for loving us so much that You surround us with beauty and little messages of Your love every day. Help us to see more clearly that these little moments are really the big moments in life. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
