I was reflecting on the fact that the Christmas season is over and we are now in Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. Although “ordinary” in this context doesn’t mean usual or average, so much as it means not-seasonal, there is some value in keeping in mind our usual understanding of the world.
Jesus, although he is without sin, got baptized, just like ordinary people.
Jesus picked for his disciples ordinary people.
God became human and ate and drank and slept just like ordinary people.
Jesus, of course, did much that is not ordinary – walking on water, raising the dead, feeding multitudes with a few fish and loaves of bread. But more often than not, he had quiet, ordinary moments with his friends and family and with those with whom he came in contact.
God’s becoming human inserted God into our ordinary lives. God shares with us our ordinary lives. God works through ordinary people, often doing quite ordinary things. And God’s constant presence in our lives, the strength we get from God’s working through us, makes our lives quite extraordinary.
Creo en Dios! 