That Extraordinary Season

Today, Catholics around the globe celebrated the Baptism of the Lord, the official liturgical end of the Christmas Season.  We remember Christ's baptism in the Jordan River by his cousin, St. John the Baptist, and the beginning of His public life, which is the primary focus of the readings from now until Lent.

The most confusing thing for me was always being told the Baptism of our Lord was the official end of the Christmas Season, meaning it was part of it, and yet next Sunday is the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.  That's not the real focus of why I'm writing today, just sort of a side thought that always pops up this time of year.

Christmas, of course, centers around Jesus' birth, Advent on preparation for that.  Lent prepares for Holy Week and Easter, where we recall His arrival in Jerusalem, His institution of the most Holy Eucharist, Crucifixion and Resurrection.  But what of Ordinary Time?  The first Ordinary Time, between the end of the Christmas Season and Ash Wednesday, focuses primarily on Christ's earthly ministry, His teachings.  The second Ordinary Time, after the end of the Easter Season, actually points toward now, our mission while on this earth.  Then Christ the King ends the liturgical year, as we focus on His eternal reign, essentially celebrating what will be at the end of time.  We know the end of the story, God wins, reigns forever, so why not celebrate it now, even though in linear time we still must wait?

My reason for bringing all this up is that as the Christmas Season winds down each year, I always find myself lamenting the term "ordinary" when referring to anything religious.  Sure, a few songs at Mass here and there are none too impressive, but to be able to come into God's presence, to receive His Son, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under the humble appearance of bread and wine?  That is far from ordinary.  Yet it is easy to lose God in the more mundane times of life.  When the Nativity Scene is there in the church, it's easy to feel the wonder.  When Alleluia is practically every other word after the Resurrection, the glory of it is palpable.  During Advent and Lent, the sense of preparation, of the need for reform, it's easy to be humbled and be aware of our unworthiness.  Ordinary Time, though, can feel just that.  Perhaps that's deliberate.

St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as "The Little Flower," whom I will sometimes call "my girlfriend in heaven," (long story that perhaps I'll explain someday) did not view herself as someone who could do great things.  She did, however, believe she could go about doing the little things in life with great love.  This little nun who lived no more than two dozen years became a saint via this "little way" to Jesus.  This simple young lady not only became a saint, but was also granted the title Doctor of the Church.  Popes don't just hand that title out like central banks print money.  One has to be a particularly inspiring individual for that title.  Minds like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas becomes Doctors of the Church.  Apparently, so do hearts like Therese.

So what does this have to do with me?  Where does this lesson apply to my life?  I wear many hats, musician, political activist, freight team member, yet the most important one God gives me is that of husband and father.  As an at-home dad or househusband, there is plenty of ordinary work to do.  Get breakfast ready and get the kids out the door in the morning, sweep, do laundry, mop, do the dishes, scrub the toilet, etc.  On the surface, it's pretty ordinary, almost bland, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  When my three year old is still awake and defiant after 10 o'clock after being put to bed before 8, when a stomach bug makes its way through the family, when I'm meal planning, there are days I'd rather just crawl back in bed, hide my head under the covers, and just say, "Forget it, the same housework is just going to be there tomorrow," it's my love for my family that makes me get my butt in gear and do it.  I'm imperfect, and sometimes it takes me time to rev up the engine, but I take care of those God has entrusted to my care.

Still, things get away from me.  The work piles up, I get distracted, I get grumpy and don't feel like talking to anyone, and suddenly I'm not living my vocation very well.  Is that the kind of fatherly love God has for me?  Is that the kind of attitude Jesus came to earth to teach us to take?  Absolutely not.  He wants me to do all things I do, great and small, with an open, giving love.

Christ's public mission begins today.  He has come to call His followers; will I say yes?  His mission is to save souls; is mine open?  His first place He comes is to His own people to wake them up; am I asleep?  He will travel many miles, mainly in one of the most ordinary forms of travel, walking.  He will perform miracles, make controversial proclamations, but He will also have many ordinary interactions.  I, too, must take many ordinary steps in my mission, taking care of my family.  What is your mission?  Only you can answer that, but you will have your own share of ordinary moments and things to do.  This Ordinary Time, let us embrace those moments and the people in them with extraordinary love in our hearts.

New Year's Resolutions, Body and Soul

It's 2014, and to catch up on the last several months of non-blogging, I don't have a hernia...yet, I don't have testicular cancer, and I'm sick of fear.  Last year, 2013, was the year I think I discovered a lot of my fears, named 'em and claimed 'em.  I've heard it said you have to know fear to discover courage, so this year is the year I discover the courage I need to face down these paralyzing fears and live.

I had meant to blog a month ago, at the start of Advent, which begins the new liturgical year in the Catholic calendar, as I make a lot of my more religious New Year's resolutions then.  I'm off to a decent start on those, and I hope to grow a lot more as time goes on.  My resolutions for the soul in liturgical year 2014 are:

1) Thank God every morning when I wake and each night when I go to bed.  I've often been God's ungrateful little brat in my prayer life, and I think just two little thank You prayers each day would do wonders in improving my attitude.

2) Attend weekday Mass when possible, as well as Adoration.  During the Christmas break, I got to Mass the day after Christmas, which is my Mom's birthday (remembering you at the Altar, where it counts), and I hope to take special advantage of that at times when school's not in session.

3) Daily Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet.  I'm always in a better place, even if the world is crumbling around me, when I'm faithful to those devotions.

4) Be less grumpy and more pleasant, even when people and life are not.

Now on to my temporal ones.  I was going to get a whole big workout routine going, but then I realized getting involved in those things always seems to be going through the motions with me.  So I decided to live by the motto, "I'm corporeal, not athletic."  Sounds healthy, right?  That said, in all seriousness, I'm going to eat healthier (specifically more fruits and vegetables and less junk), and exercise three times a week.  Even if there's no specific routine, I figure fifteen minutes of cardio and fifteen minutes of some sort of strength training to start.  Get moving and active, and the routine will come, and stop stressing and obsessing about it.

Last summer, I recorded four original acoustic songs.  I resolve to get those released as an EP.  I'll keep you posted on it.  I also have a plan to record and release a Christmas album (combined originals and traditional songs).  It will be an a capella compilation, and I already have the interest from the rest of the quartet.  The plan is to record over the summer, and have it ready for release by the fall.

Begin at least one thing off my "I want to learn" list.  Oh, and I recently wrote down a list of things I want to learn, whether it's a skill, a language, religious writings, political writings, economic writings, etc.  I want to get a serious start on at least one thing.  When I make progress, I'll share it.

The last thing originally on the list, well I probably gave myself enough to cry about last year by getting into putting myself down.  Enough of that!  No more scrawny talk, no more weak talk, no more obsessing over past mistakes.  Somehow, sometime this year, at least once, I plan to give myself a reason to weep for joy.  I'm building myself up, not out of a sense of superiority, but out of respect for myself as a child of God.  If Jesus calls me to love my neighbor as myself, then I should have a healthy, unconditional love for myself, so as to love my neighbor better.

One other thing, added right before the end of the year, is to be a lot stricter with my household budget. Without going into public detail, we're careless about what we spend.  There are going to be a lot of spending cuts in the Mankowski family.  Hey Congress!  Mr. President!  If you have the NSA monitoring my family for some of my writings, I urge you to pay attention now.  This is what we do.  If we can't afford something, we'll either eliminate or reduce it.

That said, it's almost lunch time.  Time for a quick workout, followed by finishing off some leftovers with a side salad, so I'm not throwing away food.  Happy New Year!