Ordinary Service

“We are ordinary Christians who lead an ordinary life”

God is not removing you from your environment. He is not taking you away from the world, or from your condition in life, or from your noble human ambitions, or from your professional work... But he wants you to be a saint - right there! (The Forge, 362)

No matter how much we may have reflected on all this, we should always be surprised when we think of the thirty years of obscurity which made up the greater part of Jesus’ life among men. He lived in obscurity, but, for us, that period is full of light. It illuminates our days and fills them with meaning, for we are ordinary Christians who lead an ordinary life, just like millions of other people all over the world.

That was the way Jesus lived for thirty years, as “the son of the carpenter” [1]. There followed three years of public life, spent among the crowds. People were surprised: “Who is this?” they asked. “Where has he learned these things?” For he was just like them: he had shared the life of ordinary people. He was “the carpenter, the son of Mary” [2]. And he was God; he was achieving the redemption of mankind and “drawing all things to himself” [3].

As with other events in his life, we should never contemplate Jesus’ hidden years without feeling moved. We should realize that they are in themselves a call to shake off our selfishness and easy‑going ways. (Christ is passing by, 14-15) 
                                                                              ~quoted from the Opus Dei daily message

As I was reading this it made me think about our conception of "ministry" and homemaking. (And what I am about to write sort of changes the subject slightly, but in a way, they go together.) It is often true that the homemaker is someone who also does a lot of volunteering or ministers to others. Some women who were extremely service oriented before they became wives and mothers might even go too far and completely exhaust themselves in the effort to "do it all."  We tend to only applaud and admire those who do a lot of ministry outside of the home, as if certain types of service mean more than others.  It is important to note that there is a time and a place for everything.  It is one thing for a woman who has children old enough to take care of the younger ones, to leave the home, and kids, for certain hours of the week and volunteer.  But for a woman who has babies and toddlers and diapers and naptimes, for her to volunteer would mean having to get a babysitter. When this is the case, careful thought needs to be put into this act of service. We need to remember that taking care of our own families and homes is also a ministry and it is our first ministry (for this time in our lives).  If my going and teaching religious education classes to other people's children means that my kids don't always get their own religious education (or on a more mundane note, that my house is messy, my family eats fast food for dinner, and the laundry isn't folded), then there is obviously a problem. (though, it is easy to take this too far and begin to use it as an excuse to not ever do anything.  There is a fine line here that we need to be careful of.)  One thing that we can do is carefully pick and choose what we Can do without taking away from our families.  For example, I attempt to make meals for women who have just had babies, as this is something that I can do in my own home.  Prayer is another means of service for the mother of young ones, and we all know that we need lots of prayer.

The point I am trying to make is, your home is a ministry, making meals, cleaning, changing diapers, is all service to others, it is an Ordinary service.  There are no bells and whistles attached to homemaking, no one puts on a banquet or gives rewards to the homemaker, but she is serving nonetheless.  This service is not less important because it is done in one's own home