Ordinary Time. The time that counts.
From the idea of ordinal, this is the time between and the time until. I have such appreciation for the time marked by ordinary days. What are the symbols for this liturgical season, in this very year? Ordinary time is historically known as the liturgical season to focus on practices that shape us as the people of God. Different than the seasons that focus on the great mystery of God, this time is more grounded and messy.
Which elements for Ordinary Time might carry us along? The elements that seem near to me are what I want to share in these ordinary days.
Let us consider: HEAT.
Heat | Ordinary Time
The afternoon heat enveloped us, a suffocating pillow that threatened a heat index of 115. As I sat in my van with the air conditioning doing its best, my school aged children jumped inside. Their little faces were red from waiting on me at the carpool line for just a few minutes.
“No recess today, we had to do inside recess!” the littlest one announced. Though a huge disappointment to him, I knew this was the right call in the August heat of Macon, GA. Afternoon temps were simply too extreme to have children running outside. Extreme heat in our region, like most of the South, means we change up the expectations for outside activities.
As we drove home, my son pouted. At the stoplight, we saw the construction site with workers toweling off their faces in the heat. Then, as we drove closer to our house, we looked for a home being renovated. All summer long, my children delighted in watching the construction. On this hot day, we saw a group of workers standing on scaffolding, finishing the exterior paint on this house. My son noticed, too. “Why do they get to be outside if I can’t be outside?”
That is the question. Why?
This is a question workers have asked. A recent Time Magazine article gives voice to some of these employees, several in my own town. Cooling and hydration is a dire struggle. In extreme heat, regularly replacing electrolytes and lost liquids is essential to avoid damage to your health. Even when a worker brings along a water bottle and finds a cool shady spot, this kind of preparation requires intention and support from the employer. You have to refill that water bottle, and have time to drink it. You have to be allowed to take a break in the shade. This is simply not the case for many job sites.
Extreme heat conditions result in over 40 deaths per year. This tragic number is just the first alarm we can note. Exposure to prolonged heat conditions contribute to chronic illness, heat stroke, kidney injury, cardiac arrest, and loss of safety. Alarm bells chime again when we realize that dizziness, cognitive difficulty, and loss of balance leading to injury is common in extreme heat. Over time, work in extreme heat is dangerous. These dangers are placed upon a work force of people who are disproportionately Black and Latino. A 2022 study tells us this finding “is largely due to the fact that these workers are over-represented in occupations that expose them to high levels of heat.” These alarm bells, louder than any church bells I have heard, call my spiritual imagination towards action.
This is a question that OSHA has asked. Heat protection standards, laws to ensure safe standards for water intake, breaks, and temperature thresholds, are being developed. The tricky part is getting these standards in practice. You can guess the ways that some powerful entities resist these standards. Read more.
This is a question that Christians must ask. Caring for our neighbors must begin with seeing our neighbors. The ones who are picking our peaches, painting our houses, repairing our roofs, pouring our concrete, and collecting our garbage. These neighbors are not invisible; our eyes neglect to notice them. We must begin to notice the conditions where people live and work diligently and see the places where people have little power to change their situations.
The people among us who work outside are beloved children of God. Their work, when done in extreme heat, is simply too dangerous. Exhausting and strenuous jobs are done by people who deserve safety and consideration. It is time we consider these actions.
Ordinary Time | Heat:
- Talk with business owners. When you are at a business, ask where the water stations and shade areas are provided for outdoor employees. With respect, ask how they are adjusting schedules to accommodate some early morning or evening hours for outside work. Questioning the work expectations of a place where you participate might offer insights or stir up considerations that a business owner might reflect upon.
- Speak up for compassionate work expectations. If we are customers of a roofing, construction, or business that requires workers to be outside, we can ask questions and set boundaries that an employee may not be able to do alone. If, as a homeowner or building owner, we know the heat is expected to be extreme, we do not have to participate in unsafe practices. We can communicate that workers may not work at our house in mid-day or afternoon temperatures. Holding these expectations might be uncomfortable and feel like inserting ourselves into business practices. But a little discomfort might be part of a faithful act of care for our neighbors who work outside.
- Bear witness to the work conditions of these neighbors by including them in your church’s Prayers of the People or ongoing prayer list.
- Offer bottles of water and cooling products to workers you encounter regularly. You know where you see neighbors struggling in the heat. Show up and drop off water, umbrellas, or a blanket for rest.
- Read about OSHA’s efforts to advocate for heat protection standards. The Asuncíon Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act is “a bill directing OSHA to institute an interim heat standard for indoor and outdoor workplaces until a final heat rule can be completed.” How might your family or church participate in supporting this bill?
