Ordinary Time

Pause

… for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:26, 28 (NRSV)

Listen

Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing that comes from heaven. God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world.

Ephesians 1:3-4

Think

Growing up, my dad used to tell my brother and me, “Cling to Christ and to everything else be uncommitted.” I’ll be honest, I didn’t really get what he was saying and sometimes would get frustrated that I just “wasn’t getting it.” But then, one day, I realized that “clinging to Christ” isn’t some obscure thing that’s impossible. “Clinging to Christ” is a simple invitation to pay attention to Christ at work in my life. By paying attention, I came to see and know “in Christ” I was already loved, whole, and enough — just as I am.

The writer of Ephesians is telling us something similar with the start of this letter. Because of Christ, we already are enough. We’ve got nothing to fear. Each of us can cling to Christ boldly. That truth changes everything.

Molly Brummett Wudel

Pray

God, help me to pay attention and cling to Christ, and in doing so realize that you are already right here. I am enough! Amen.

Go

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

A prayer from St. Patrick