Ordinary Time and Its Comforts

       People who hate to see the Christmas trees come down may also be loath to embrace Ordinary Time in the church year. Is OT average, common, usual? The longest season of the liturgical cycle, it falls into two parts, and ordinary is derived from the words for “numbered” and “order”. Thus, Ordinary Time is a succession of numbered weeks in the ordered life of the church. 

      The high intensity liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter call for extra effort on the part of us all, especially liturgical ministers and those responsible for music, environment, lectors, homilies and so forth, not to ignore those who cook and bake and offer hospitality. For them OT offers a respite, a relaxation, a relief. A relaxation from the great central mysteries into the life of Christ that we celebrate over its thirty-three or so weeks. A time to mature as Christians until that day comes when Christ will draw all people to himself at the end of time. 

       Until then we lower the stress, calm ourselves, and try to live as we are called. For monastics there is an expression “the regular observance” that is quite appropriate for this Ordinary Time. Lent will arrive on our calendars soon enough, with the reminder from St. Benedict that our lives “ought to be a continuous Lent”. Let us enjoy the few weeks of the regular observance before we are called to a higher degree of intensity in our Christian lives.

      Sr. Christa Kreinbrink, OSB