Ordinary Time 
Pause
“We belong in a bundle of life. We say, ‘A person is a person through other persons.’ It is not, ‘I think therefore I am.’ It says rather, ‘I am human because I belong. I participate, I share.’”
from No Future Without Forgiveness by Desmond Tutu (1999)
Listen
I assure you that whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will certainly be rewarded.
Mark 9:41
Think
I have had the pleasure of handing out water at a marathon race. Some runners say, “Thank you!”, and some just keep on running. The task of being an encourager and a motivator when someone is tired and worn out or simply carrying on the race is an important one. It reminds the runner that they are not alone, that there are people who are looking out for them and want them to succeed.
I have also been on the receiving end of being the runner and getting water in the middle of a race. I got water from people I knew and people I had never met. We all need the reminder that we are not alone, and if we look up, someone is there to help us be revived and renewed.
Be on the lookout today for ways that you can offer “cups of water” – literally or figuratively – as acts of care and reminders of belonging.
Kim Crowley
Pray
God, help me to see those around me who need encouragement, whether that is a hug, a word of love, or a cup of water. Amen.
Go
Go and remember: you belong to the body of Christ. The body needs you in order to work as it should.
Go out and share your gifts, so that the body of Christ may be the healing love of God to the world.
