Ordinary Time 
Pause
All of us live full lives. And yet in spite of all the things we have accomplished thus far or plan to accomplish in the future, there is nothing more valuable in life than the knowledge of God’s presence.
Knowing that God is with you and for you, feel free to let go of everything that is holding you down or holding you back. Settle into the silence of this moment and recognize what a gift it is. Because of God’s love, you are free.
So receive God with gladness, and open both your heart and mind, that God might move in you and through you, even now.
Listen
The widow went and did what Elijah said. So the widow, Elijah, and the widow’s household ate for many days. The jar of flour didn’t decrease nor did the bottle of oil run out, just as the Lord spoke through Elijah.
1 Kings 17:15-16
Think
It’s so easy to run from one thing to the next and, without even knowing it, to miss out on all that God is doing in us and around us. But this is what happens when we live on the surface of life. Things can easily get busy, overwhelming, and stressful. But for those with faith, there is another way of living and seeing in the world, a way that says, “There’s more going on here!”
The widow, like any normal person, had a hard time believing that a jar of flour and a bottle of oil could be used without running out, and yet that’s exactly what happened, “just as the Lord spoke through Elijah.”
As is true throughout the biblical text, here again we are told of a God that is both with us and for us. So if you’re struggling, and life is hard, if things are overwhelmingly dark and terribly heavy, maybe the first thing you should do is stop, slow down, and listen for God. It’s not always obvious, but there’s more going on here.
Chris Robertson
Pray
God, I have so much going on. And as a result, it’s tempting to ignore you until I find myself in need. But God, you are everywhere. So help me to slow down and to look longer and harder. That way I might experience you in my day-to-day life and come to know you better. Amen.
Go
“The purpose of prayer and religious seeking is to see the truth about reality, is to see what is. And at the bottom of what is is always goodness. The foundation is always love.”
Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, 2003
God renews our vision and invites us to look deeper — all the way to what is. God wants us to see the love and goodness of what is. Are you paying attention?
