Thoughts
With Advent and Christmas over, we begin not only a new calendar year, but also the liturgical season of “Ordinary Time.” This time between Christmas and Ash Wednesday and between Pentecost and Advent is called “ordinary” in that it is the “ordered” days of the liturgical year which focus on public life of Christ. We have left the euphoria of our Savior’s birth. Christ’s passion, death and resurrection will be observed in a couple months. Now it is time to live our ordinary lives in a way that is ordered toward Christ. In the following weeks, the Sunday Gospels will focus on the initiation of Jesus’ ministry and His teachings. We are invited to enroll in the school of Christ and apply His example and teachings in our daily lives.

Challenge
At a time that many seek to reorder their life through good but temporal resolutions (such as to lose weight, exercise more, read regularly, explore new career paths, etc.) you are challenged to reorder your life through resolutions that will bear eternal benefits (i.e. bring you into closer relationship with God both now and forever). First, order your life toward a healthier relationship with God. Make time for Mass every Sunday and more often if you can. Try to receive Reconciliation “regularly” (perhaps monthly). Be in regular communication with God throughout the day (e.g. daily prayer at regular times, Bible reading, spiritual reading, etc.). Second, order your life toward a healthier relationship with yourself and your neighbor (family, friends, co-workers, etc.). Forgive old grudges and past failures. Work on spiritual habits (fight the bad ones and foster the good ones). Seek to increase in humility. Be charitable to others (and to yourself).

Links
+ Read Scripture daily at the US Bishop’s website: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/011514.cfm
+ Read Scripture anywhere from your smart phone with the Lighthouse Bible App: http://lighthousecatholicmedia.org/app
+ Begin praying with a daily devotional such as: The Magnificat: http://magnificat.net/english/index.asp,
The Word Among Us: http://wau.org, or In Conversation with God: http://scepterpublishers.org/category/?category_id=22
+ Various daily prayers, reflections and meditations from EWTN: http://ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayer_saint.asp
+ Prayers for Catholic Men: http://catholiccompany.com/prayers-catholic-men-p1033318/
+ Virtues and Vices by Peter Kreeft: http://kofc.org/un/en/resources/cis/cis124.pdf
+ Read any of the following Classic books on the spiritual life: Introduction to the Devout Life by DeSales, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, The Imitation of Christ by à Kempis, Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross, Confessions by Augustine, Autobiography of Theresa of Avila, The Story of A Soul by Thérèse of Lisieux
+ Read some great recent spiritual works by G.K. Chesterton: http://ignatiusinsight.com/authors/gkchesterton.asp#gkcbooksbyJacques Philippe: http://scepterpublishers.org/category/?category_id=48
Robert Barron: http://store.wordonfire.org/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1820