As I See It

by Fr. Vin

“Ordinary” Time

The liturgical season called “ordinary time” begins today, with its green vestments.  Because we live in a culture addicted to spectacle (from the Super Bowl to “giant mega-sales” at stores), “ordinary” sounds…well, unexciting.  Ordinary.  But that’s to miss the point.

The name of this season comes from the same linguistic root as the word “orderly.”  (The same root as “ordination,” too.)  The heart of its message is that Christian discipleship is an orderly movement of response to God’s grace.  That orderly movement involves both personal growth in holiness and a shared, communitarian life and activity.  The point of “ordinary time” is that Christian life isn’t disorganized: Christ teaches us, through Scriptures and church, how to live as individuals, how to live together as families, and how to live together in a church communion – all so that we can grow closer to Him and can do His work more effectively.

The Gospels of Ordinary Time are taken from the stories of Jesus’ public ministry.  During that ministry, He was putting into motion the promised “Kingdom of God.”  Our baptism incorporates us into that movement, and the Scriptures teach us how to do our work effectively, in imitation of how Jesus worked.  Catholic life isn’t for freelancers: incorporation into the Church commits us to learn to work together to advance God’s cause in the world.

(Coincidentally, that’s why we speak of the “ordination” of bishops, priests, and deacons.  Catholic clergy are not freelancers: We derive our authority and responsibility in the church by being incorporated into the body of church servant-leaders.  A person is ordained into the “order of bishops,” the “order of presbyters (priests),” or the ”order of deacons.”  The work of the ordained is organized work for the well-being of the church and its mission – it’s never individual, freelanced ministry.  And the diocesan bishop is technically called the “ordinary” not as a comment on his personal qualifications, but because of his job – to see that the church’s work proceeds in good order.)

But even if we understand this meaning of “ordinary,” we still have some work to do to take it to heart.  Our American culture’s view of Christianity was largely formed by various Protestant groups, and we’re affected by our culture.  We can slip away from a Catholic way of thinking into a very individualized one – “me and Jesus,” which is not Catholic at all.  The idea of a “personal savior” is foreign to Catholic thinking: We are saved by being incorporated into the Church, which is the Body of Christ.  (You might say we’re saved by being “ordered” – incorporated in an orderly way into the work and life of Christ.)

So we’ll probably need to remind ourselves over and over that this season of Ordinary Time is as vital to our discipleship as are the major feasts like Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter.  Those feasts are times to celebrate who Christ has made us.  These Sundays of Ordinary Time invite us into the hard work of learning just who Christ has made us, and how to be faithful to that gift.

You might ask yourself: How orderly is my Christian life, and that of my family?  Do I – do we – have a plan for how to grow in the love of God?  (It doesn’t need to be formal and written, but it should be clear to you and to your household.)  Do we commit ourselves to working with other parishioners in an orderly way for the well-being of the parish and the salvation of others? 

Ordinary Time is interrupted, every year, by Lent and Easter; and this year, because Easter is very early, it’s interrupted after only three weekends.  So take these weeks to focus on your discipleship: How will you work at learning what Christ asks of you?  What questions do you have that you will bring to the Scriptures?  What work will you do outside Sunday Mass to learn about Christ’s gifts and call to you?  Will you commit to our parish renewal during the Lent and Easter seasons?

The green of the vestments during Ordinary Time is the green of growing things.  Just as plants and trees grow in an orderly way so they can flourish, so does the church – and so does the individual disciple.  We know what disorganized growth is in organisms – we call it cancer.  So let your life be ordered to the Way of Christ during this aptly-named season.  Until next week, peace.

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