Sounds pretty boring, doesn’t it? “Ordinary Time.” Especially compared to the anticipation and excitement of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, even All Saints’ Day.
So why does the Church insist on calling it that? Even if it’s not an exciting stretch of the liturgical calendar, couldn’t we give it a better name? It’s a fairly functional designation: each Sunday during this season is designated by ordinal numbers: “First Sunday in Ordinary Time,” “Second Sunday…” etc. — rather than cardinal numbers (one, two, three). Ordinal numbering, hence “ordinary” time.
But if you want to go deeper, remember that we use ordinal numbering for ordered lists. What happens during Ordinary Time is that the church’s teaching, understanding, longing, and creating is given order for us and for our salvation.
During this season, our worship is ordered and patterned on the life and teaching of Christ (and the Hebrew tradition which Jesus grew up in as well as being its fullest and richest expression). We no longer are conformed to the pattern of this world, but ordered in the character and grace of Jesus Christ, the logos or Word of God. Actually, in Greek, logos could mean not just word but also idea…and pattern! So the Letter to the Ephesians reminds us that
This is what God planned for the climax of all times: to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth.
Ordinary Time is represented by the color green in worship, illustrating our growth in the knowledge and love of God. And whether we experience Ordinary Time counterintuitively in the depth of winter or appropriately in the height of summer, we are reminded that the Spirit is constantly nurturing us in holiness, righteousness, and love.
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