Ordinary Time

Pause

The kingdom of God is justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Come, Lord, and open in us the gates of your kingdom.

“The Kingdom of God” from Communaute de Taizé

Listen

Seek the Lord and live, or else God might rush like a fire against the house of Joseph. The fire will burn up Bethel, with no one to put it out. Doom to you who turn justice into poison, and throw righteousness to the ground!

They hate the one who judges at the city gate, and they reject the one who speaks the truth. Truly, because you crush the weak, and because you tax their grain, you have built houses of carved stone, but you won’t live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you won’t drink their wine. I know how many are your crimes, and how numerous are your sins— afflicting the righteous, taking money on the side, turning away the poor who seek help. Therefore, the one who is wise will keep silent in that time; it is an evil time.

Amos 5:6-7, 10-13

Think

It’s easy to turn our eyes away from God. It’s easy to not listen to God. It’s easy to live as if God has little to say or do with our lives. We can turn on the TV or scroll through social media, and our eyes are met with so much brokenness, violence, and actions pointing away from the love of God. We can watch people we know make harmful decisions. We can see our friends bully someone who is different. We witness people who forget neighbors and ignore the poor among us.

Yet, the good is in our midst, too. We catch glimpses of God’s goodness when we listen deeply, when we invite a friend to join us for a meal, when we see communities coming together to support those in need.

Take a moment today to seek out the good. Seek God by loving your neighbors. Seek God by seeing each person you meet as God’s beloved child.

Kimberly Knowle-Zeller

Pray

Holy Lord, you call me to seek you. Teach me to open my heart and eyes to see your goodness and mercy in everyone I meet. Amen.

Go

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.

Let the fires of your justice burn.

Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn.

from “Canticle of the Turning” by Rory Cooney (1990)