Second Sunday in Ordinary Time—January 19, 2020

Dear Friends in Christ:

Well, here we are gathered for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time…while I love

Christmas and all that occurs during the Christmas Season it is good to be back into Ordinary Time. I love Christmas! If you stopped by the rectory at all during Christmas you would have noticed in a small way that I love to decorate the house for Christmas. Over the years I have gathered quite a collection of nativity scenes from throughout the world and a large number of snowmen. In some way I wish the Christmas Season were longer to enjoy the collection I have gathered, but since it is so short I have decided there is no harm in leaving a few nativities up throughout the year to remind us that God loved us so much He sent His only Son into the world to show us the way to the Father! Jesus is Emmanuel, God is with us, and that is something we can celebrate throughout the year not just during the short weeks of the Christmas Season.

Sometimes we as Catholics can feel perhaps a bit disappointed when we arrive at Ordinary Time. After all, think what we just celebrated in rapid succession: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. WOW. We really celebrated during those weeks that God is with us! But you know what? God is with us in Ordinary Time, too. God is with us in the ordinary events of every day as well. There really is nothing ordinary about life as a Christian if we truly seek to find the Lord in one another whom we encounter. For me as a priest, this is one of the privileged moments of encounter. Whether it is a hospital visit, a sick call, a house blessing, or a simple meeting with a parishioner in the parish office, I am often awed by how Jesus is present in the midst of these moments of encounter. Do you see His presence in your daily encounters? Are you searching for Him like the magi? Look for Him for He is there!

So let’s make Ordinary Time this year Extraordinary! How? Here’s some things we can do to make this happen:

· Attend Sunday Mass as a family

- If you have young children sit in front so the children can see what is happening

· Plan ahead which Mass you will attend

· Read the Sacred Scriptures and get to know the Lord Jesus

- You can locate the daily Mass readings on our myParish app