Every year as the Church comes back into Ordinary Time after the Christmas season, or later on after the Easter Season, it can feel a bit like letting out a long breath after a strenuous exercise. We’ve just finished celebrating a lot of major feast days right in a row: The Immaculate Conception, Christmas, Holy Family, Mary Mother of God, Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord. These are incredibly meaningful feasts and are deep mines of truth for reflection. They console us with their simplicity and reveal to us the humility of God, who came among us as a child born from the pure womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Still, despite the beauty of these feasts and the joy we experience celebrating them, it can be a real spiritual “exercise,” in every sense of the word, to reflect in a profound way, feast after feast on the mystery of God’s love. There is thus a certain sigh of relief given by the Church in the liturgical rites as we come back into a simpler season. It is with peace and readiness that we enter back into Ordinary Time.
As we breathe this sigh of relief, I think we’re due also for the yearly reminder of the exact meaning of that term, “Ordinary.” Does it mean plain, boring, and monotonous? No!
While there is a sense in which this season is filled with a simplicity not found in other seasons, that is not the reason this word is used to describe the seasons.
“Ordinary” refers not to the “feeling” or “vibe” of the season, but rather to the simple fact that the weekends of Ordinary Time are numbered in a way we call “Ordinal.” This is a seldom used word. Its antonym is “Cardinal.” An ordinal number is listed in reference to a list and the number’s place in the list, whereas a cardinal number is simply the number as such. A list of ordinal numbers, for example, looks like: First, Second, Third, etc., and a list of cardinal numbers looks like: One, Two, Three, etc..
As we move through ordinary time, then, our weekends are numbered as “The Second Sunday of Ordinary Time,” “The Third Sunday of Ordinary Time,” etc. What we reflect on in this time is deeply profound and exciting yet so varied that it doesn’t fall into its own seasonal designation. We delve deeply into the mystery of the life of Jesus Christ in his public ministry. We hear stories of his miracles, his teaching, his parables, his disciples, and his encounters with the Jewish people and authorities.
We reflect, in other words, on every action of the life of God made man. There is nothing more exciting than this; there is nothing more extraordinary than this. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us! The evangelists were excited men, and present to us in writing the exciting message of salvation.
True, the Lord does so often come to us precisely in the ordinary moments of everyday life. True, the life of Jesus was overwhelmingly filled with ordinary human moments. Yet, Ordinary Time is not named so because of that. We enter an ordered time in which to reflect on the most extraordinary occurrence known to man. Rejoice and be glad! Breathe deeply – we have met the Lord at his baptism and now we enter his public ministry. We walk with him toward the cross and receive God’s steadfast love. Jesus, lead us in your love. Teach us your humility!