Reflections 
It's cold out in NYC. I for one am sick
of the snow and, worse, the mix of ice
cold rain and snow that makes our
streets a slushy mess. Who isn't tired
of having to hurdle across those frozen
swamps that collect at each and every
corner of our city? Yeah, "ordinary
time" seems like an appropriate name for
this time of year. It's not Advent or
Christmas, it's not even Lent yet, with
it's promise of the coming spring and
Easter. It's just "ordinary time."But why does the church call it that? Is it just because we don't know what to call this time between the great seasons and feasts? Is this time of year, or the summer when "ordinary time" hits again, just not as special or filled with grace as any other?
No, even in the cold dreary days of winter, God's grace is just as present as at Christmas or Easter. "Ordinary Time" doesn't mean "plain" time. The word comes instead from the same root as "ordinal numbers." In other words this is the time of the year where we just line up Sundays in order. First, Second, Third, etc. And that's where "ordinary time" gets it's name.
But this time is far from ordinary. The Scripture reading for these early Sundays are
filled with narratives of
calls and conversions. We hear of Peter
and Andrew, James and John dropping
everything to follow the Lord. Last week
at St. Francis we celebrated the
conversion of St. Paul, when he received
new sight and his life was completely
turned around. These are far from
"ordinary" events. And they remind us
that we never know when the Lord will
come to us and ask us to turn from what
we are doing to follow him more closely.
God comes to us in the "ordinary" of our
lives. We meet our God in the every day.
He calls us while we are dodging the
crowds on the sidewalk going to work, or
when we are waiting for the train on the
subway platform, or when we are sitting
with friends and loved ones at brunch.
Yes, God will even come to us in our
crazy, busy, yet ordinary lives here in
New York. Peter might have had no idea
on that ordinary day as he was fishing
that he would meet Jesus and his life
would be changed forever.
And we must keep our eyes open, and our
ears attuned, and our oil lamps lit to
be ready to see and listen when the Lord
calls us. Because he will most likely do
it on an ordinary day.Maybe "ordinary time" is not such a good name for a time when we might meet God.
-Joe Nuzzi