Celebrating Liturgical Seasons
Growing by Experiencing the Feasts and Seasons of the Church Year
What is Ordinary Time?
"Because Ordinary Time refers to the period of the Catholic Church's liturgical year that fall outside of the major seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter), and because of the connotations of the term "ordinary" in English, many people think Ordinary Time refers to the parts of the Church year that are unimportant.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Ordinary Time is called "ordinary" because the weeks are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, Ordinary Time is in fact the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ."
-Scott P. Richert
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Ordinary Time is called "ordinary" because the weeks are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, Ordinary Time is in fact the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ."
-Scott P. Richert
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Christmas Time and Easter Time highlight the central mysteries of the Paschal Mystery, namely, the incarnation, death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. 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? |
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Spiritual Summer Anthems
A mix of upbeat and chill Christian tunes from St. Mary's Press.
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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity - June 12
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Trinity Sunday, officially called "The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity," is one of the few celebrations of the Christian Year that commemorates a reality and doctrine rather than a person or event. On Trinity Sunday, Christians remember and honor the eternal God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Trinity Sunday is celebrated the Sunday after Pentecost, (June 7, 2020) and lasts only one day, which is symbolic of the unity of the Trinity.
Read more. |
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What is Trinity Sunday all about?
BY THE EDITORS of Busted Halo MAY 20, 2016 Busted Halo has the facts for you! Click here to read more and to download this at-a-glance resource. |
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The Trinity as the Shape of Faith
Reverend Michael Himes February 5, 2003 Boston College, C21 Videos |
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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - June 19
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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is also known as the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which translates from Latin to "Body of Christ." This feast originated in France in the midthirteenth century and was extended to the whole Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264. This feast is celebrated on the Thursday following the Trinity Sunday or, as in the USA, on the Sunday following that feast.
This feast calls us to focus on two manifestations of the Body of Christ, the Holy Eucharist and the Church. Read More. |
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I'm sure that probably all of us here remember celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi many times as we grew up and throughout our lives as Catholics. The emphasis always was on adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, recognizing the living presence of Jesus in the bread and the wine that were consecrated at Mass.
We believed, and still believe with great strength, that Jesus is truly present under those forms of bread and wine. But there's another reality about the Blessed Sacrament that we perhaps have not given as much emphasis to as we should, because if we listen carefully to the scriptures, we discover that not only are those elements of bread and wine transformed into the body and blood of Christ, but also the community of disciples -- we, who are the church -- are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. We become the living Jesus, present in our world. Read more of this reflection by Thomas Gumbleton. |
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Bread of Life
by Bobby Fisher Bread of life and cup of hope,
we come as gift to you. Change our hearts; fill us with peace. Transform our lives anew. Open our eyes so that we might see your presence in one another. Your life, poured out in love today, unites us all in you. Loving Lord, Creator God, open our eyes to see the good that lives in each of us, that called the world to be. And when we fail to see the good, when friendships falter and crumble, give us the courage to forgive that we may live in peace. Living Word, O Son of God, your love shows us the way that we may live in harmony, and from you never stray. Wipe all oppression from our midst; give us a love for all people. Your song of justice sing in us, to live for peace today. |