The saints have marched past, Christ the King waits ahead, and here we are in the quiet space between. These ordinary November days invite us to discover that God does some of God’s finest work in the places we are tempted to hurry through. Perhaps holiness is simply learning to walk faithfully when there are no trumpets.
Tag Archives: holiness
The Saints Before the Saints
Long before Bethlehem, the Church, or even the word “Christian,” God was already calling saints. On November 4, we remember the Saints of the Old Testament—the wonderfully imperfect family of faith who carried God’s promise forward. From Abraham beneath the stars to Ruth in the fields and Moses before the burning bush, their lives remind us that holiness is not perfection but imperfect people caught up in the persistent purposes of a faithful God.
All Saints: The Great Company of the Unfinished
All Saints’ Day reminds us that saints are not spiritual superheroes or flawless people preserved in stained glass. They are ordinary, unfinished human beings through whom the extraordinary grace of God became visible. Today we remember the famous and forgotten alike — and discover that there is still room for us in the great company of saints.
When Saints Disturb the Furniture
The saints of the Reformation remind us that holiness does not mean perfection—it means belonging to God. As we enter All Saints and All Souls, perhaps the saints should be allowed to disturb the furniture a little, reminding us that the Church is always being reformed and God is still making saints from wonderfully unfinished people like us.
God Is Not Waiting for You to Become More Impressive
We often imagine that God is waiting for us to become a more organized, prayerful, patient and generally improved version of ourselves. But Ordinary Time reminds us that God does not work with our improved selves—God works with the people we actually are. As All Saints approaches, perhaps holiness is less about self-improvement and more about surrender: discovering that grace begins not when we become impressive, but when we simply show up.
God Is Probably in the Laundry: The Holiness of Doing It Again
Much of life consists of doing things again: washing the dishes, making breakfast, saying our prayers, offering forgiveness, beginning again. Perhaps holiness is not found only in extraordinary moments, but in the faithful repetition of ordinary ones. As All Saints approaches, we remember that saints were formed through thousands of ordinary mornings offered to God.
The Holiness of Showing Up: Why God Keeps Meeting Us in the Same Old Places
Most of the Christian life happens not on mountaintops, but in kitchens, offices, parish halls, and ordinary days. Perhaps holiness is less about doing extraordinary things and more about returning faithfully—to prayer, to mercy, to one another, and to God—with love.
The Holiness of Things That Need Doing
What if the ordinary chores, interruptions, errands, and unnoticed acts of kindness that fill our days are not interruptions to the spiritual life, but some of the very places where it happens? Ordinary Time reminds us that holiness is often found not in the spectacular, but in the faithful things that simply need doing.
The Holiness of Almost Nothing Happening
Most of life happens on ordinary days—days of coffee, emails, dishes, errands, interruptions, and almost nothing remarkable. Yet Ordinary Time reminds us that God does not wait for spectacular moments to appear. Perhaps holiness begins when we learn to notice the grace already hidden in Tuesday.
The Holy Art of Showing Up: When Faithfulness Looks Remarkably Ordinary
Holiness rarely arrives with trumpets. More often, it looks like showing up, saying our prayers, keeping promises, forgiving, serving, and beginning again. In the quiet days between Thanksgiving and All Saints, Ordinary Time reminds us that God does some of God’s finest work through small acts of faithfulness repeated day after day.