Not So Ordinary Time

By Paul J. Ashton, Psy.D., D.Min. 

Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs

Father,
You call your children to walk in the light of Christ.
Free us from darkness and keep us in the radiance of your truth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

—Opening Prayer for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

For many of us the summer season is all too short. We all relish the longer days of sunshine, the warmer weather, and the time off from work and school. Lighter schedules seem to prevail as our ordinary routines are set aside for outdoor activities, rest, and relaxation. During the lazy, hazy days of summer we recall fond memories of days past at the ocean, lakes, pools, and lawn sprinklers. It is an extraordinary time that many of us look forward to each year.

At the same time, the Church celebrates the season of Ordinary Time which is the liturgical period outside of the distinctive liturgical seasons, and usually runs 33 or 34 weeks. The Catholic Church celebrates two periods of the year as Ordinary Time. The first falls immediately after the Christmas Season and the second after the Easter Season. Basically, Ordinary Time encompasses that part of the Christian year that does not fall within the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter. We get the name Ordinary Time from the word ordinal which means “numbered” because the Sundays of Ordinary Time are expressed numerically.

There is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time however, because the Church devotes these days, especially Sundays, to the full mystery of Christ in all its aspects. We celebrate the divinity, humanity, death, resurrection, and the fullness of Life that Christ has given the Church. We celebrate the life and miracles of Christ, the dedication and holiness of the Saints and the wisdom and Good Counsel of his Mother, Mary.

In the days of summer we take time to rejuvenate and renew, and we also take time to think, to examine, to wish, to dream, and to plan ahead for the lives we would like to live and lead. We celebrate in the fullness of creation and enjoy the great gift of nature. We travel and see the wonders of creation in other cultures and places and stand in awe of mountains, oceans, snow, and fields of grain. We might open ourselves up to new places and people and foods and ideas. We share laughter, music, and dance. We smile and find fascination in a buzzing bee or passing butterfly. We spend more time with our children. We go to the edge of the pond, lake, ocean, or stream—and we ask God questions. We wait for answers and seek them in deep conversations and debates with our families and friends. We share recipes for the best potato salad or hamburger and we relish the very idea of 54 flavors of ice cream. We pause. We breathe. We are present to the moment.

And, like Ordinary Time, we count. Not so much the Sundays, but the days, weeks, and the weekends left to the season… because we know we only have so many of them and the air will turn cooler and the sun will shine less. And we know that our ordinary schedules will return and we will have to wear long pants and socks again, and our ordinary lives will return to the ordinary business of ordinary life.

We still have time, don’t worry.

Bring your children close… spend time with them and create a memory for this Not-So-Ordinary Time. Take the time to talk to them, to listen to them and to watch them. YOU are the chief witness of their life. It is YOU they rely on and look to for guidance and support and encouragement. It is YOU whom God has entrusted to protect them and offer them safety and security. It is YOU who can point out the extraordinary in the ordinary things of life. When they yell out “Watch me! Watch me!” It is YOU they shout out their love to.

Take time to enjoy the ordinary moments and the extraordinary will happen all by itself.

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