Ordinary Time

Pause

Today is a busy day. It is full of things that must get done and people that must be seen. With the help of God, I can be peace in every encounter. With the help of God I can be a holy presence in every conversation.  With the help of God I can place the thumbprint of the divine on every assignment. With God’s help I will be the best version of myself today.

Offer space in a busy day for the God who has already gone before you into it, and trust in the help that will come.

Listen

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him."

Matthew 21:31b-32

Think

If you asked me what I’m most afraid of, I would tell you that I fear missing a good opportunity. I would hate to find out a month, or a year, or ten years down the road that I could have done something cool, or interesting, or maybe even life changing—but for whatever reason I didn’t take the chance.

The people whom Jesus addresses in the scripture passage are in danger of missing much more than a good opportunity; they are on the verge of the letting the Kingdom of Heaven pass them right by. You have to wonder: what could blind the religious leaders of the day to the fact that God was walking in their midst and yet be determined to undermine and reject Jesus at every turn? I think a lot of it has to do with pride, or perhaps the fear of being wrong. They are so certain that they know all the answers that they refuse to even consider the new questions Jesus asks.

Lucas Dorion

Pray

Holy God, your Kingdom is moving in front of us today. May we not be afraid to look for it in the people and the places we might least expect it. Your love and forgiveness are for everyone. Help us to live empowered and humbled by that. Amen.

Go

Go now into the world confident that you are not alone, and at peace knowing that God will be with you wherever you find yourself this day.