Summer is here. The pools are open. Packs of kids ride through the neighborhood. The smell of charcoal fills the air.
As a Church, we just celebrated Pentecost and have officially entered Ordinary Time. You’ll notice Father is back in green and the life of the Church returns to “normal”. We’re not ‘feasting’ as in Christmas and Easter, nor are we ‘fasting’ like in Lent or Advent.
But, Ordinary Time is not called “ordinary” because it is normal, or common, or just the usual. We call it “ordinary” because it is ordered. This series of days and weeks are numbered. Ordinary Time fills most of the liturgical calendar, and while there isn’t the excitement of the major seasons like Christmas and Easter, this time is a very important one for us.
Ordinary Time ends with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and our goal for this season is to direct our lives toward Christ, as King of the Universe, and as Lord of our lives. As a Church, we begin to follow the life of Christ in the Gospel readings. As individuals, we can use this time to start living like Him.
So, how will we do that now in this summer season?
You may have noticed that summer is not typically the time when people buckle down and get their house in order. If anything, it’s a time of letting go. Routine gets more difficult, hard-won habits start to slip. It’s easier to just kick back and coast your way into September.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to slide backward. I don’t want to pad my gut physically or spiritually. I want to live a life of discipline, of prayer, of growing closer to God and those around me.
And as much as I might think I’m a special snowflake, there are men out there who feel the same.
That’s why this year men around the world are using Exodus 90 to “beat the summer” — skipping the summer binge and committing to a life of discipline at a time when the rest of the world gets lax.
We’re starting Exodus 90 on June 16th and ending on September 14th, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
Don’t let this summer be ordinary. Instead, live like Christ. Live prayer, discipline, and fraternity. Live different.
