[Pearls Ep 154: Brining Sunday into the week.]
We’re continuing to look at ways to make the most of Ordinary Time.
Perhaps you’re familiar with this proposition. I’ll offer you two options, pick one:
- I’ll give you an easy $100,000 in cash right now, and we part ways.
- I’ll give you one penny today, but each day for a month I’ll double it.
As you might know, or can guess, your better choice by far is B. Over the course of 30 days of doubling, that penny will grow to over $10 million simoleons. And in this day, when $100k will barely buy a bag of groceries, that’s a big difference.
Thus is the power of compounded interest in the financial world.
And, in the spiritual world, thus is the power of Ordinary Time.
You see, Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter are times of unique spiritual grace. We often have breakthroughs or “ah-ha” moments. Perhaps with the ascetical practices of Lent we realize there are things in life that we are better off without. And at Christmas, we might receive a spiritual gift or two in our stocking.
What can easily happen (for some of us more easily than others!), is that right on the heels of Christmas and Easter “real life” comes crashing back in and those inspirations disappear like the decorations returned to the attic.
Ordinary Time is the perfect time to take those new inspirations and habituate them into our daily routine.
One of Karen’s gifts was a renewed appreciation of reading. But not just any reading. Her dad had a fine tradition of saving one last gift for Christmas night. After all the presents had been opened, dinner feasted, and everyone ready to settle in before bed, there would be a final collection of packages under the tree – a carefully chosen book, always hardcover, one a-piece.
And so we’ve kept that tradition. But this was the Christmas of books-galore. We each received a number of books in addition to the final one to cap off the day. There was one point Christmas afternoon when we were all just sitting together and immersed in our books, sharing little excerpts that stood out to us.
Karen’s gift was a renewed appreciation that life is too short to waste on second-rate books (not to mention mindless web browsing), and the value of spending time with a good book. And so as we move into Ordinary Time she’s making a priority of daily reading of good soul-enriching book.
A simple “little” thing. Will that make her a Saint? Nope. Will that change the world? Nope. But God put that on her heart this Christmas and if she’s faithful, it will be one step further down the path of “working out her salvation” as the Apostle would say.
Guess what happens when we do that year in and year out. Christmas after Christmas. Easter after Easter. Putting those graces into action during Ordinary Time. Watch that penny grow …
Blessings on your journey with Christ –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life