In today’s first reading from Hebrews we hear,
He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers”
It is a reminder that while men and women religious are “consecrated” to Christ in a particular way. All Christians are “consecrated” at our baptism. We are washed clean in the water. We are filled with the Holy Spirit. We are anointed with Chrism. That anointing is renewed at confirmation.
We are all consecrated, call into oneness with the sacred, with the Holy. This is why a daily prayer life is essential for the Christian. In prayer we are drawn deeper into that oneness.
Our prayer needs to be routine, in the best sense of that word. Daily prayer cannot be something we do when we feel like it. All of have rituals, routines that we do every single day without even thinking about it. We shower, we dress, we brush our teeth, we drink coffee. We get in the car we turn on the radio. Look at the routines of your life and ask, is prayer on the list? If it isn’t, it should be, it can be.
Every habit begins the same way, repetition. We repeat something long enough it becomes a habit. The habit over time finds its place in the routine.
On the day of our baptism, we were consecrated to the Lord. We love the idea of being brothers and sisters of Jesus. We can forget that the title comes with demands. In this first week of ordinary time, let us look at the place of prayer in the ordinary part of our lives.
