What words immediately spring to mind when you think of “ordinary”? You might think something like “nothing special,” or maybe “humdrum,” or possibly even “not important.” The word “ordinary” is charged with all these meanings, and sadly we carry them over into our attitude toward the liturgical season that we call “Ordinary Time.” But Ordinary Time is meant to be anything but “ordinary.”
What Is Ordinary Time? The Church’s liturgical year swings on the two hinges of the Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter seasons. As you know from walking into St. Faustina’s during these times and seeing the different color vestments, flowers, and other decor, these are particular times of hope, joy, penance, and celebration. But what about the rest of the year?
Ordinary Time – what the Roman Church used to refer to as the seasons after Epiphany and after Pentecost – is that “in-between” period of anticipation, where we allow the mysteries of Jesus’ life to penetrate deeply into our everyday lives.
The Church gives us Ordinary Time as a period of intentional conversion – a time to reflect on Jesus’ life and ministry, to gauge how we ourselves are measuring up to the standard of Christian living that Christ Himself has set for us, and to come closer day-by-day to living Jesus’ mission in our own daily lives.
Why Is It Called “Ordinary Time”? The English translation, “Ordinary Time,” is somewhat unfortunate because of the negative connotations ordinary carries in English. The Latin word that we translate as “ordinary,” ordinalis, refers to numbers in a series, what we call the “ordinal numbers.” But on a deeper level it refers to order, specifically the ordered liturgical life of the Church.
So in reality, “Ordinary Time” has nothing to do with something that is not special or unimportant. What we mean is really something more along the lines of “Ordered Time” or “Time Rightly Ordered” – and of course, time rightly ordered is time that leads us ultimately to Christ the King. This is why the season of Ordinary Time culminates in the Solemnity of Christ the King, which is the last Sunday before Advent.
When Is Ordinary Time? Ordinary Time is divided into two periods. The first period runs from the Monday following the first Sunday after Epiphany until Ash Wednesday. The second period spans the Monday after Pentecost Sunday until the First Sunday of Advent. In total it is usually either 33 or 34 weeks long, depending on what day of the week the Feast of Epiphany is celebrated.
Throughout Ordinary Time the priest wears green vestments, unless there is a special feast day. Green is the color of hope and of new life. At the end of a long grey winter, we all rejoice to see the green grass poking out through thin layers of snow and buds starting to sprout in the trees. Similarly after the bleak “winter” of sin and death’s victory over mankind, we rejoice in the new life that Jesus has given us through our baptism, and we look forward with joyful hope to the day that He will come again to draw us into full union with Him in God’s love.
Making Ordinary Time Extraordinary Since it’s meant to be a time of intentional conversion, where we reflect more deeply on the life and ministry of Jesus so we can conform our lives more closely to Him, I thought I’d offer a few things you can do to be more intentional about your spiritual growth throughout Ordinary Time.
There is no better way to get to know Jesus, than to read about Him in the Scriptures, particularly in the New Testament. Fortunately you don’t have to wade through the entire Bible on your own. You can just add the Church’s daily Mass readings to your morning prayer routine. The readings take no more than 5 or 10 minutes, and they will give you plenty to reflect on throughout your day. And, of course, if you’d like to come to daily Mass to hear the readings, we’d love to have you.
Every day the Church celebrates the life of a holy man or woman, someone who really put flesh and bones on the truths we read about in the Scriptures. If you’re not quite ready to add the Mass readings to your prayer routine, or if you want clear examples of how the Scriptures have been lived down through the ages, then consider reading and reflecting on the lives of the saints being venerated for that day. One great resource that follows the Church’s liturgical calendar is Butler’s Lives of the Saints: New Full Edition.
Finally, since Ordinary Time is all about intentional conversion, what better way to be more intentional than to commit to going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation once a month. Committing to monthly confession will give you the opportunity to reflect on your own life, holding before yourself the example that Jesus and the saints have set for us. You’ll see where you’re progressing forward, and where you still have room for improvement. We have lots of opportunities each week; find one that works for you.
This year, why not make Ordinary Time anything but ordinary? Be intentional about your growth in the spiritual life and your maturity in the Faith, so that when Christ the King does in fact return, you will hear His kindly voice say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant… Come, share your master’s joy.”