This past week at church, I mentioned in conversation that it was nice to be in “ordinary time.” I didn’t realize that I was talking about something that was not entirely familiar to everyone. So, here’s a brief explanation and comment.
The term “ordinary time” originated in the Catholic Church to indicate the parts of the liturgical calendar that are not included in the major seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. For example we just began ordinary time on the Monday after Pentecost (May 24th), and will conclude on the Saturday before Advent. What can be confusing is that there is also a bit of ordinary time from the Monday after the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord through the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
Don’t go looking for ordinary time in the Prayer Book – it’s not there. The term evolved from the way the titles of the seasons, Sundays and major holy days are expressed (BCP page 31) in “Ordinal numbers” – first, second, third, fourth, etc.
I’ve always been a bit uneasy about the word ordinary in this context since it may convey routine, common, or mundane. In the church there is nothing “ordinary” about “ordinary time.” Ordinary time is living out our faith and the meaning of Christ’s resurrection in ordinary life during those months when we don’t have major feasts to refocus our attention.
The summer months and ordinary time lay before us, but this ordinary time season at Saint Paul’s is going to be anything but ordinary – it will be extraordinary! You don’t want to miss it!
Peace,
