Ordinary Time

Pause

As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud [person] is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.

from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (1952)

Listen

In the same way Christ also didn’t promote himself to become high priest. Instead, it was the one who said to him,

You are my Son. Today I have become your Father,

as he also says in another place,

You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

During his days on earth, Christ offered prayers and requests with loud cries and tears as his sacrifices to the one who was able to save him from death. He was heard because of his godly devotion.

Hebrews 5:5-7

Think

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus didn’t choose to become the savior of the world, but was chosen by God. It’s strange to think that, given the option, Jesus might have chosen not to become the Messiah. I know I would have a hard time accepting such a calling, even if God asked me. I would rather have a peaceful, ordinary life and avoid all the suffering that Jesus endured.

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves “promoted” to roles we never would have chosen and don’t especially want. Any big event in your family — birth or death, marriage or divorce, illness or addiction, someone losing a job or going back to work full-time — can force you into the new job of caregiver, peacemaker, or protector. Like Jesus, you might pray “with loud cries and tears” for God to make things go back to the way they were before. This does not mean that you are losing your faith; in fact, these feelings and prayers are a part of faith.

Catherine Healy

Pray

Dear God, Jesus struggled with the calling you had given him, and sometimes I struggle with the calling you have given me. Help me to embrace your will for me bravely, and show me how to live fully into the life you want me to have. Amen.

Go

When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you,

when the work you put in is realized,

let yourself feel the pride,

but always stay humble and kind.

from “Humble and Kind” by Lori McKenna (2015)