Ordinary Time Ordinary Life

Living in ordinary time

Jesus lived the majority of His earthly life in ordinary time.  He was the son of Joseph and Mary.  Joseph was a carpenter.  Mary was Joseph's wife.  Joseph was the father, the  earthly father, of Jesus.  Mary was the mother of Jesus.  They were an ordinary family living an ordinary life. 

The world saw nothing extraordinary about this family.  The sun rose and set.  The rain fell.  They were good neighbors.  Joseph had friends.  Mary had friends.  Jesus had friends.  Nothing was out of the ordinary.   Jesus, Mary and Joseph were a family.

They would attend Temple together.  They would gather with family and friends to celebrate the feast days.  Joseph, Mary, and Jesus would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem each year.  They traveled in a caravan.  They ate.  They slept.  They lived an ordinary life in ordinary time. 

Babies were born.  New families were made joyful with the arrivals.  Grandparents cooed at the new babies.  Mary held the new babies close to her.  She would help the new mothers when grandparents could not.  Joseph would help those who needed help.  Joseph often sent Jesus on errands to help those who could not help themselves.  Jesus would give His food to the poor.  Jesus would bring home stray animals.  Mary gave up trying to control the number of God’s creatures who would follow Jesus.  She knew He would always be safe with them.  God provided them with food for these animals and birds.  

Mary and Joseph would watch Jesus comfort anyone who was sad.  He would remind them of the goodness of God.  The adults would smile when they heard Jesus talk.  Mary and Joseph would look at each other in awe and wonder.  Often, they did not know what to say.  At night, after Jesus was asleep, they would look at their Son and wonder.  Joseph would pray to the Father and ask Him for guidance.  Jesus was the Son of God and Mary.  Joseph was overwhelmed with gratitude for the gift he had been given by the Father.  Joseph was the guardian of these precious lives. To the world,  this family was an ordinary family.

Joseph would ask advice of the elders about raising a Son.  The elders would smile and give their advice.  Grandmothers would give their advice to Mary about her beautiful Son.  She would smile and listen with care, always honoring their intentions to help her with love.  Their was nothing extraordinary about this family.

The village watched as Jesus grew into manhood.  When Joseph died in the arms of Jesus and Mary, the villagers brought food, love and support for the grieving family.  Jesus became the provider for His Mother.  Most in the village assumed that she would seek another husband, but they knew that Jesus would provide for her if she did not.  Matchmakers tried to find a wife for Jesus, but they were just an ordinary family.

So, when Jesus unrolled the scrolls and told the villagers that the prophesy of Isaiah had been fulfilled in Him, He was not surprised when everyone asked, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?  Is not Mary His Mother?”

He was not ordinary, but He lived in ordinary time.