Ordinary Time
After journeying through the liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas, today we begin the largest section of the Church year: Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time consists of two sections. The first begins today as the Christmas season has closed. It only lasts for several weeks until the season of Lent begins on February 22. The second section of Ordinary Time will begin after Pentecost Sunday and continues throughout the summer and fall until the Solemnity of Christ the King.
While it is the longest season of the Liturgical year, be very careful not to see it as simply plain or uneventful because of the name it carries. The term “Ordinary” in the Liturgical sense simply means “time throughout the year.” It is understood to mean ordinal or numbered, i.e. 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time which we celebrate today.
It’s interesting that in the Gospel for today, we are actually taken backward into a time reminding us of the Advent and Christmas seasons. John the Baptist testifies, “that I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God.” John proclaims that Jesus is the One who is “a light to the nations.” We reflect on what has happened in the “Christ event” up to this time in order to begin moving ahead into this rich season in the life of the Church.
As Ordinary Time begins, we readjust our focus, looking ahead and traveling with Jesus as He makes real the Kingdom of God on earth through His life, His mission, and His ministry. As Ordinary Time begins, we must understand that now, Jesus calls each of us to be “a light to the nations.” During the long season of Ordinary Time, Jesus will be our teacher and our mentor as we assume our role in the Kingdom of God on earth.
By virtue of our Baptism, you and I have a crucial role in God’s saving plan. These roles are not reserved to the clergy, but to all the people of God. As members of the Body of Christ on earth, we are the very real and continuing presence of Christ in the world. If ever there was a need for the living presence of Christ in the world it is certainly this day and age in which we live. Our children and young people most desperately need the reassurance that Christ is alive in our world. Reminding ourselves that we are the Body of Christ on earth is not something we do only on Sundays. To be truly effective ambassadors for Christ, it is in the “everyday” of life, in the “ordinary” times in life that we must remember who we are: the light of the world.
We all are good at making resolutions at the beginning of a new year. Let us resolve, as we enter 2023, to spend more time at the feet of Jesus, so that our light will shine just as He has called us.
Deacon John Murrell