Our Lady of Lourdes Church and School

It seems like an age has passed since we moved within the liturgical season of “Ordinary Time”. And even as we emerge from Lent and Easter, our initial Sundays celebrate significant Feasts of our church year, such as today’s Feast of the Most Holy Trinity.

 It's curious to me that we enter into “ordinary time” celebrating the revealed nature of God. Our first reading today narrates the Lord coming before Moses and “introducing” God’s own self, so to speak. As God reveals God’s own self to the leader of the people, Moses entreats with the Lord to accept the people as his own, even though they be a “stiffnecked” people, stubbornly clinging to their wicked ways that seem to habitually bring them pain and hardship in their lives. The habits of our lives can be very difficult to face into. The greater the habit, very often the greater the challenge to engage it so that our life might be richer, more rewarding in the long term. For myself, I confess that sometimes it's just easier to not “rock the boat”, and so manage to avoid getting upset, or upsetting others. But in my limited experience, this path of least resistance rarely offers a flourishing of life. Such is the ordinary reality of our living ordinary lives in ordinary ways. Yet it is in the ordinary movements of life that I have to admit that I also witness and encounter the most extraordinary moments of life.

 Generosity, goodness, compassion, selflessness… these attributes of the divine are also attributes of our own when we are at our most human. Recent events in Manchester and London, or even in Orlando earlier this week, certainly give us all cause for concern, or even fear. However, the greater realities of our humanity rarely make the headlines. Nonetheless, there were those who ran toward danger to help those most affected. There were those who risked their own safety and well-being in order to comfort and save others. There were those who literally gave of themselves so that others might survive. First responders are heroes in their own right, but they were accompanied by civilians whose ordinary humanity saw them become extraordinary.

 By God's grace, most of us will never be placed in the position of literally having to risk so much, but nonetheless we are all going to have the opportunity to rise above mediocrity and grow into becoming our better selves. It may be an opportunity that comes in very ordinary ways. Someone may find themselves challenged to grow in and deepen their own relationship with Jesus because they were invited to be a confirmation sponsor. Someone may find themselves learning the gift and grace that comes from making a sacrifice in order to participate in Together in Mission or in contributing to the Mission Sunday appeal. Someone else may find themselves moved to volunteer at the local homeless shelter, or St. Vincent DePaul or MEND… Perhaps I might be prompted to volunteer to help someone to read, or to offer a ride to someone to help them get their groceries or to get to a doctor's appointment. Perhaps I might offer to babysit for a young couple who are living far from family or friends and who could use a date-night for themselves. Heroism need not be exceptional or reported in the press in order for us to grow into becoming our best selves.

 Here at Lourdes, I am reminded at this time of year of the ongoing work that both Men’s Club and Women’s Council undertake in support of our graduating students. Over the years, they have each raised thousands of dollars for scholarships which are awarded to young men and women of our parish who are entering a Catholic High School. This year is no different, and their ongoing support of our families who sacrifice to provide a Catholic education for their children is both noteworthy and laudable. Perhaps as an expression of my own commitment to contribute to something that is bigger than myself or my own needs, I might simply join with the men and women of the parish who form these organizations and who work throughout the year to make a difference in the lives of our youth.

 We don’t have to be responding to tragedy or chaos in life to be our better selves, to be a little extraordinary in what can seem like ordinary ways.

 “Brothers and sisters, rejoice... encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2Cor. 13:11)