Peace in the midst of turmoil

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

In our line of work, it can be easy to fall into a spirit of pessimism, crankiness, stress, or general worry. Especially this time of year, when the pressures of the secular calendar, our home life, and the holidays start to pile up on top of our preparations for Advent and Christmas—that means Lent and Easter are just around the corner!—and with the colder days, longer nights, and lack of vacation, things can start to feel a bit miserable.

Now the bride, whose wedding isn’t for another year and a half, is harassing you, choir members are letting you know they’ll be gone for Christmas, and the copier machine decides to jam, again! Add to that the news these days, and it can certainly seem like the world is falling apart.

Yet even in the midst of turmoil, our faith calls us to give joyful testimony that the sun of justice with its healing rays will arise. As liturgical ministers, we strive to embody the spirit of the liturgy even when we don’t feel like it because we have the duty and blessing of being public witnesses to Christ every Sunday.

There is someone in your assembly this week whose world is truly falling apart, and they have nowhere else to turn. They need what you have to give them, and that is hope.