What is Ordinary Time?

Ordinary Time is a liturgical season, just like any other. And just like any other season in the liturgical calendar, this season celebrates a very specific time in the life of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

When we think of liturgical seasons we typically think of the major seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. These seasons celebrate what could be thought of as “The Main Event.” Namely, the incarnation, birth, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

Seems like there isn’t much to celebrate after that, right?

Wrong!

The 33 (or 34 depending on how the feasts fall – more on that in a minute) weeks of Ordinary Time contain the rest of Jesus’ earthly ministry and some of the major events of the Gospels we have come to know and love.

The miracles, the parables, the calling of the twelve, the sermon on the mount, the bread of life discourse. . . we get all that and more during this season. Truly, there is much to celebrate.

Why the word Ordinary?

The term ‘ordinary’ in our common use typically refers to something being plain, unimpressive, or unexciting. A kind of ‘it is what it is’ mentality. For that reason, many people hear ‘Ordinary Time’ and they immediately think of the season as such. But that understanding doesn’t reflect the true meaning of the season.

Ordinary, in this context, comes from the Latin term ordinalis, meaning ‘numbered’ or ‘ruled’. This title simply refers to the ongoing and rhythmical nature of the season. Just like everyday life, there is a rhythm to the days and the weeks. Sure, we have holidays and special occasions that we look forward to that change the pace, just like we have holy days and feasts in the Church year. But those special occasions aren’t the whole picture, just like there is more to the life of Christ than what we celebrate in other liturgical seasons.

When is the season?

Technically, Ordinary Time has two parts, but it remains one season. The first part begins right after the feast of the Epiphany and runs until Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday (when Lent begins).

The second part begins the Monday after Pentecost and runs until the First Sunday of Advent. This part is typically about twice the length of the first.

Ordinary Time typically contains about 33 or 34 weeks, depending on how other Catholic Church feast days fall. Each of these weeks is denoted by the passing of time:

The First Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
etc.

What’s the color?

The liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green. This is to represent the time of growth and expansion of the Church following the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Green is a very natural color, and is often a symbol for growth and new life.

What are we supposed to do?

Like all liturgical seasons, Ordinary Time is meant to be lived! We aren’t passive receptors of the liturgy – or at least we shouldn’t be. We are called to be active participants! Participating in Ordinary Time means participating in the everyday life of Jesus.

According to the USCCB, “The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time, on the other hand, take us through the life of Christ. This is the time of conversion. This is living the life of Christ. Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ.”
Think about that last phrase for a moment.

Caught up in Christ.

One of the realities of everyday life is that it is easy to get caught up in things.

Politics.
Social media.
Schedules.
Work.
Money.
Worry.
The list could go on.

But what would life look like if you were caught up in Christ?

Getting caught up in Christ

Here’s a short list of ways you can fully embrace this liturgical season and get caught up in Christ:

1. Examine your habits. Your day to day life is typically just a series of habits played out one after the other. If you want your life to change, the first place to look is your habits. A great new habit to start: reading the daily Gospel.

2. Gratitude. Joy always finds its root in gratitude. Try starting each day by thanking God for five ordinary, everyday things. If you have a family, try going around the table at dinner time and list off things together.

3. Use your imagination to reflect on the daily life of Jesus. Imagine Jesus doing the simple things. Eating, walking, joking with his friends. Praying. Make yourself a bystander to the Gospel stories in your imagination.

Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary. But the true power of the season is only unlocked if you live it!

https://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-ordinary-time/58139

How Ordinary Time Readings Are Organized

Understanding the arrangement of the readings can help us appreciate the movement of the season
and to use them to grow in our relationship with Jesus

The official guide for how the readings work for Mass is contained in the introduction to the Lectionary - the book of the readings which we use at Mass. This introduction lays out the decisions which were made to arrange the readings for the Mass in such a way that we experience a great deal of the treasury of the scriptures over a three year Sunday cycle (Year A, B and C) and over a two year Weekday cycle (Year I and II). There is a special arrangement for Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, and for the special celebrations of the year. We will focus on the part of the introduction which addresses Ordinary Time.

How the Season of Ordinary Time is laid out across the liturgical year

The liturgical year begins with the First Sunday of Advent - about four weeks before Christmas. The Christmas season follows Advent. Ordinary Time counts the weeks between the end of the Christmas season and Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent.

The date for Easter is moveable because it is related to the celebration of Passover on the Jewish calendar, which is connected to the vernal equinox - actually on the first full moon after it. (The vernal, or Spring, equinox, is the date when the length of days and nights are the same. This is when spring begins, as the daylight, which was shorter all winter, now begins to grow longer.) The Council of Niceas (in 325) decided that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon, which follows the vernal equinox. This means that Easter will be celebrated from about the third week of March to about the third week of April.

So, Ordinary Time counts the time between the end of the Christmas season and whenever Lent begins. Usually there are between four to nine weeks of Ordinary Time before Lent begins.

The last Sunday of the Christmas Season is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord - the Sunday following January 6th. Therefore, the next day becomes, "Monday of the First Week of Ordinary Time. The following Sunday is the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time.

When Ash Wednesday appears, Ordinary Time ends until after the Easter Season. Ordinary Time begins to be counted again, from where the season left off, beginning with the week after Pentecost. There are a total of thirty-three or thirty-four weeks of Ordinary Time which are laid out. (If necessary, sometimes one of the weeks is skipped so that the final weeks are able to be fit in.)

How the Sunday Readings are arranged

The Gospels are laid out so that we read through, in each of the three years, Mark, Matthew and Luke's gospels, one after another, taking us through the life of our Lord, as presented by the three gospels.

The First Reading is carefully chosen from the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) so that important passages are chosen to bring out a connection with the Sunday gospels. Sometimes, when we are preparing for Mass, it is helpful to read the Gospel reading first so that we can appreciate why the First Reading was chosen. Then, when we read the Gospel a second time, the connection helps us.

The Second Reading is taken from the letters of the Apostles Paul and James. These readings are arranged so that we can get a good sense of these important messages, but the readings are not linked to the Gospel. It can be important for us to take advantage of this journey through each of the letters to learn the message, which still has such important help for us today.

How the Weekday Readings are arranged

The Gospel Weekday Readings also are arranged so that we read Mark's Gospel first, then Matthew and finally Luke. Following the daily readings gives us a blessed opportunity to get to know Jesus - his story, his encounters with people, and his message - so that our relationship with Jesus can grow in intimacy.

The First Reading during the weeks of Ordinary Time are not related to the Gospel. They are arranged so that we can experience a great amount of scripture, over a two year period. For example, we might have several weeks from one of the apostolic letters and then several weeks from one of the Hebrew scriptures, before returning to another letter - throughout the season, according to a two year cycle. This is a great opportunity to let our familiarity with these readings grow with our exposure to them each year.

Better understanding the Scriptures

Once we understand how the scriptures are arranged for the Sundays and Weekdays of Ordinary Time, we can use our missalette or an online site like ours, to look ahead at what is coming. So, if we know we are beginning to read Mark's gospel for the next number of weeks - both on Sundays and during the week - we might pay special attention to how Mark approaches his story. It could be helpful to read a brief introduction to Mark's gospel. We can usually find a brief introduction in our Bible or in an online version. Just getting a sense of who Mark's audience was and what issues he was dealing with in helping them hear the Good News, will open up the story - and out rexperience Jesus - very much. The same practice could be used when we are reading from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians or from a series of readings from the Book of Wisdom.

A simple prayer asking for the grace to hear the Word, as I need to hear it

It can be very fruitful, whenever we begin to read the scripture - whether in preparation for Mass or because we discovered a passage - is to ask our Lord to let me open my heart to hear what this Word can mean for me. Here is a possible example we can pray, using our own words and circumstances.

Dear Lord, I'm beginning to experience this Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time. I have really enjoyed reading how Matthew has been telling us your story. I've been fascinated by the Prophet Ezekiel last week and I look forward to more of his special style this week. Your words to your disciples has been filling me this week. I think when I start to pay attention to your message, as it applies to my life this week, it comes alive. Continue to give me this openness and keep speaking to me so directly. And, give me the grace of your Holy Spirit to be faithful to these gifts, in the way I give myself in loving my family and serving others.

A simple prayer like this, each day, could include specific parts of the message which touched me today, or which I found challenging, and need further help. Then, the readings and movements of this season can nourish my developing relationship with Jesus. And, Ordinary Time counting can become quite extraordinary.