Not So Ordinary Time

There's nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time. Other denominations may know this time as Epiphanytide, but Catholic's refer to it as Ordinary Time. Although I know when it falls within the liturgical year, I wondered about the origin of its name.

Temples per annum - time through the year; ordered time.

We lose so much in our English translation of Ordinary Time - it sounds so.......ordinary. Unimportant. The bigger feasts throughout the church year identify with the mysteries around the life and mission of Jesus. They teach us why we live and why we die but it is in between that we learn how to live.

Have you ever heard the poem The Dash? It speaks of the time between our climactic birth and eventual death. I've always loved that poem. There's more, so much more to learn in the in between. More, so much more to live in the in between. How we live on Sunday proclaims to the world what we believe. Has our church become a museum to visit or a community that engages us, teaches us, shares with us? AND, what role do we play? Are we afraid to engage? Why?

I recently read a great statement that I believe has the answer -

We've forgotten our story! ~Matthew Kelly

Jesus' dash was His time in between. It was the learning in the synagogue, it was the wedding celebration with family and friends, it was the beatitudes, it was the parables, it was the service - in other words it was the meeting of others along life's journey with the goal of leading each other to where God wants us all to be. Think there's nothing more to learn about our faith? Think it's too boring, too irrelevant, too ordinary? Then perhaps, we too have forgotten our story!

When God created man, He did so in his image. He placed a piece of heaven within our hearts and nothing other than Him can fill that space. Our life on earth, through its experiences, trials, and acts of love help to transform our self-centered nature and help us grown spiritually. This certainly explains why so many of us can work harder, acquire more, move from experience to experience to try and create happiness, and still we don't feel satisfied. We've forgotten our story!

Our Hearts are Restless Until They Rest In You. ~ St. Augustine

Let me ask you a question. Are you the same person you were 5, 10, 20 years ago? Do you see the world, your family, your career goals the same way? Yeah, me neither. Do you think it's possible that Mass, scripture, traditions could take on a new meaning with all of those changes we've experienced in our lifetime? Would you be willing to give it a chance? Would you be willing to remember your story? Seek answers to the questions that make you believe it is irrelevant? Re-charge your Catholic faith? Then join me - we'll journey together on our quest to remember our rich, Catholic story.
Because if we're not doing it - who is?

If this reflection stirred something in your heart, I invite you to keep journeying with me. Each week in The Sabbath Way newsletter and my GardenersTouch reflections, we explore how to live the “dash” of our lives with deeper faith, peace, and purpose.

Subscribe today and let’s remember our story together. Because Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary when we walk with Christ.