In the midst of "Ordinary Time."

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 dogding 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