Strive for the extra-ordinary

 

One of the most amazing features of our wonderful lives as human beings is the fact that we are bound by, moved by, and immersed in “time”.  We can think about what happened yesterday, imagine what tomorrow might bring and, at the same time, live in the present.  Many words have been written about just how to juggle all of that and whether “knowing where you’ve come from”, “living in the present moment”, or “thinking ahead” should take pride of place.

A portion of the letter of St. Paul to Titus (Titus 2:1-14) talks about how to live in the present: “temperately, justly and devoutly.”  And it tells us what we wait for in our future: “the appearing of the glory of the great God and of our Savior Christ Jesus.”  But what might be missed in our neat “timeline” is a fact “from the past” that remains effective in the present and propels us to our future: “the grace of God has appeared.”

The deceptive simplicity of this statement uncovers for us the revelation of Jesus as God’s presence among us.  This simple fact has changed many things, including the way we relate to time.  In Jesus, God’s grace (presence, strength) is no far-off, occasional visitor.  Neither is it “once and done”, or “someday far away.”   God’s grace has appeared (hidden in Jesus of Nazareth), appears each day (hidden in faces and events all around us as well as within us) helping us to live “temperately, justly and devoutly”, and will appear as the Lord lets us see His glory face-to-face.

Now we can say with amazement, but without fear, that in Jesus Christ, we are living in the past, the present and the future.  “Jesus Christ:  the same, yesterday, today and forever.”

And yet “the same” does not mean “static”.   For instance, the obligations of being a Catholic seemed much harsher as I was growing up.  These obligations included abstinence from meat on Fridays, Mass on Sundays and on holy days, fasting from midnight until the reception of the Eucharist, fasting in Lent, and many more.  Since the Second Vatican Council in the early 60s, the obligations are fewer and there’s an expectation that we each will make our own personal choices for sacrifices and service that express our love for God.  Superficially it seems that things have become laxer, but it’s actually become more challenging because we have to take more personal responsibility.  We each have to discern what it is that God is calling us to do to serve Him and those around us. It’s not an easy task sometimes because He doesn’t lay it out in black and white, and sometimes it’s frightening that he may call us to do something beyond our comfort zone.

The lesson Jesus is trying to teach us in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 17:7-10) is that it’s not enough to just meet our obligations: “So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” It can be tempting to pat ourselves on the back or even look for acknowledgement from others when we’ve met our obligations within a very secular society.  Just meeting our obligations is nothing extraordinary; it’s the extra-ordinary that we should strive for in our service to God and others.