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“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”
—Act 2, Scene 2 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
This famous line from Romeo and Juliet is known to be the most popular lines of the most famous play by Shakespeare during his lifetime. It came to me as I am experiencing what seems to be the end of summer break and vacation times with family and friends for a bit of respite. These words came to me as I awkwardly shifted the words to say,
O Summer, Summer, wherefore art thou Summer? Deny your season of whimsical, shortened bliss and refuse to cause our hearts to flutter in haste to secure some time of refreshment and self-care. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn to us far more than what seems a minute, And we will cherish your spell of joy and freedom in our hearts through autumn-tide.
While entertaining, this is how I feel about now while in Ordinary Time of our liturgical calendar. I desire to keep in front of me that this is a time to really experience God in our ordinary spaces of home, family time, gardening, walks on the Greenway, home projects, and a good ol’ cup of coffee or tea. Finding the sacred in the ordinary is not hard. It only requires us to be still for moments at a time to witness what is beautiful and wholesome. Ordinary Time teaches us to encounter God’s grace right where we are. The strawberry and peach harvest in which we indulge can remind us that Ordinary Time can be a period in which we plant seeds within our spiritual selves through prayer, scripture reading, and acts of service to produce a harvest of devotion and dedication unto God. May we discover and encounter the beauty of God in our ordinary spaces as we intentionally pause during Ordinary Time. The harvest of our pause may surprise us with a faith that has deepened and strengthened our spiritual relationship with Christ far past autumn-tide, haste but for a lifetime. Godspeed Beloveds.
Mother Kimberly
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