# A melody of hope: finding God in the ordinary
*2008-12-16*

> Drawing from the reflections of Rev. James Field, this episode explores how God is present not only in life's great crises but also in the small, daily irritations.

## The power of simple prayer

I want to begin today with a prayer my aunt, Sister Mary Tracy, gave me many years ago called the Prayer to Obtain Favors: 'Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, I vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayers, grant my desires through the merits of our Savior Jesus Christ and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.'

## God in the ordinary messes

I recall a story about a little girl named Caroline in a parochial school kindergarten. An elderly sister was sent in as the teacher's helper. One day, while coloring in the kitchen, little Caroline threw down her crayons and exclaimed, 'Mother of God, this is unbearable!' When her mother asked where she learned to say that, Caroline replied that the Sister had said it thirteen times the previous day. Clearly, the Sister still had the ability to call upon the powers of heaven thirteen times a day if necessary.

Sometimes I act as if prayers should be reserved only for the big messes of our lives—war, prejudice, poverty, or conserving the planet. Yet, the Incarnation clearly shows that God has come to stand with us, knee-deep in the ordinary messes of our lives: traffic jams, colicky babies, aches and pains, and ATMs swallowing our cards. These too are the stuff of prayer.

## The trust of St. Joseph

Today's Gospel shows the crisis in the life of a great man of prayer, Joseph. Because of Mary's unexplained pregnancy, he decided to put her aside quietly with a bill of divorce. Yet, somehow he remained open to God's Spirit through prayer, his fear was lifted, and he took Mary into his home. Joseph trusted the power of the Lord, God among us. He and Mary must have called upon God often, trusting that God would answer.

## Turning irritations into guideposts

Today, be attentive to the little irritations of life. Possibly they are not distractions from our spiritual life, but guideposts. Advent's longing is for God's presence to save us from all that hems us in and weighs us down. When you encounter something that truly bugs you, hand it over right away to the Lord and then move on.

*When you encounter the small irritations of daily life, treat them as guideposts and hand them over to the Lord immediately.*