School follows its own comfortable rhythm. It begins with the new school year in August— packed full of excitement for buying new school supplies and backpacks, followed by the rush of meeting new teachers and learning which friends will be in a student’s class. But as the students, parents and teachers settle into the steady cadence of studying, tests and projects, that shiny new excitement begins to fade. In its place are the more mundane, daily tasks: fighting to make good grades, navigating friendships and conflicts, completing science fair projects and writing book reports.

Even with that ordinariness, students, teachers and parents alike manage to fill the day-to-day with moments of joy. Sometimes that’s through team sports and birthday parties, and other times it’s as simple as finally understanding a math concept. And, of course, the entire school year is marked by looking forward to vacations and breaks—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring and Easter.

Does this cycle sound familiar?

As I considered the whole of the school year, my mind immediately jumped to another familiar, cyclical rhythm Catholics live: the Liturgical calendar. Much like the school calendar, our Liturgical calendar begins in Advent, a time often marked by excitement, hope and anticipation for Christ’s birth. As Christmas comes and goes, we slide into Ordinary Time—a time that, in Ohio at least, is usually marked by less exciting, short, cold, gray days. The thrill of Christmas has come and gone, and before us lies a seemingly unremarkable time (until Ash Wednesday, anyway).

Just as we can fill the ordinary school days with extraordinary moments and activities, so too we can embrace Ordinary Time’s opportunity to elevate our faith and dig deeper into lesser known things. From the Presentation of the Lord to rejoicing in saints’ feast days, we can use that time to focus on a specific aspect of our faith and nurture its growth.

Keep this in mind as we start this new school year. Yes, soon the excitement of all the new things will fade and likely be replaced by the mundane, but in each of these moments is an opportunity to grow and deepen our knowledge. Maybe it’s about long division, or perhaps it’s a better understanding of a lesser-known saint. Regardless, it’s a chance to transform the time we take for granted into something more.

Check out the August issue of The Catholic Telegraph, I hope the stories of students elevating their faith lives by transforming their communities helps inspire you to do more with the time you have.