The Feast of the Baptism of Lord, which we celebrated last Sunday, marks the beginning of Ordinary Time in the liturgical cycle of the Catholic Church. Ordinary Time has two parts: 1) the shorter stretch between the end of the Christmas season and Ash Wednesday and 2) the much longer period between Pentecost and the first Sunday of Advent. The phrase "Ordinary Time" has an unfortunate connotation in the English language, suggesting that this period is plain old ordinary and that nothing special is happening during this time. But nothing could be further from the truth.
At the heart of Catholic liturgical practice is the concept that every Mass, regardless of how grand or simple it is, expresses the fullness of our faith. In that sense, no Mass is ordinary, since the Mass is the most intimate union we can have with God on this side of Heaven. The various feasts and seasons of the liturgical year do not add new concepts to the Mass but serve to highlight different aspects of our faith, helping us to reflect on them more deeply and to enter into them more fully.
The Christmas season, for example, focuses on the mystery of the Incarnation. Lent helps us to reflect on the Crucifixion of the Lord. At Easter, we celebrate the Resurrection. Each of these aspects are a part of every Mass. But the feasts and seasons give them special focus for our edification and spiritual growth. Indeed, the liturgical year is a great gift of the Church to us, giving us a framework for deeper engagement with different mysteries of our faith as each year unfolds.
But then, we might ask, why use the word "ordinary" at all? The reference here is not to something that's not remarkable but to the ordinals from mathematics. In Ordinary Time, each Sunday is named after the ordinals, as in 2nd Sunday, 3rd Sunday, 4th Sunday, etc. (We should also remark that there is no 1st Sunday in Ordinary Time, because that Sunday is supplanted by the Baptism of the Lord.) Another way to refer to Ordinary Time in our own minds could be the numbered Sundays of the liturgical year. (We should also add that the concept of Ordinary Time is relatively new in Church history, the term having been added after the Second Vatican Council. Before then, the short period between Christmas and Lent was known as the Sundays after Epiphany and the longer stretch between Pentecost and Advent was known as the Sundays after Pentecost. There is a lot of detail and nuance to the liturgical calendar!)
Another question that might arise is what we should be doing during Ordinary Time, without the special focus of a feast or season? The answer is that we focus on living out the fulness of our faith. Building on the learning and growth of the feasts and seasons, we focus on continuously deepening our relationship with Christ during Ordinary Time. Doing so will mean that there is nothing ordinary about this time. Instead, it will be filled with the extraordinary love of Christ entering our lives.
Various customs have also grown up for the weeks of Ordinary Time between the end of the Christmas Season and Ash Wednesday. One old custom is to leave Christmas decorations up until February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, thereby extending the aura of Christmas to 40 days. Another custom, officially observed in the pre-Vatican II Church and privately observed by some today, is a three-week period of pre-Lenten preparation, sometimes called Septuagesima season, designed to help the faithful enter more fully into the penitential practices of Lent. More recently, another penitential practice has also developed, called Exodus 90 for men and Fiat for women. Participants in these programs engage in a rigorous system of penance and self-sacrifice starting 90 days before Easter. They meet in groups weekly during this time in order to reflect on their progress and to encourage each other, which helps to build a strong, supportive spiritual community.
Yet another custom, with deep roots in various cultures, is a time of festivity in the days leading up to Lent, called Mardi Gras (or Carnival, Carnevale, Shrovetide, or some other name, given the cultural context). Unfortunately, in some areas, Mardi Gras has gotten out of control, but the original intention was good. Mardi Gras can provide a bit of good natured feasting before the rigors of Lent begin. However, Mardi Gras makes sense only if we do undertake some sort of plan of self-denial during Lent. If our Lent is no different from our everyday lives, then there is no point in throwing a special party on the eve of Lent.
A key principle of the Catholic liturgical year is the cycle of alternating feast and fasts or periods of simplicity. Fasts help to discipline us by uprooting our unhealthy attachments and point us toward that which is of primary importance in our lives - our relationship with God. On the other hand, after a period of fasting, we need some feasting so as to rejoice in God's goodness for us, enjoying the gifts he has given to us. Feasting, however, should be temporary, so that we do not become over-indulgent and lose sight of God. We need both feasting and fasting in our lives. The two reinforce each other and each makes the other more meaningful.
The Catholic liturgical calendar had once defined the rhythm, the ebb and flow, of Western culture. Our secular society still has elements of our liturgical calendar, but has kept only the feasts, not the fasts, and has robbed them of their true meaning. Our secular culture likes endless indulgence, with no self-denial. To the extent that we do see fasting or other forms of carefully regulated eating in the broader culture, the focus is on material well-being, physical health, not on cleansing our souls so that we can be more open to God's grace in our lives. As Catholics, let us reclaim the rhythm of the liturgical year and make it the guiding principle of our yearly calendar.
Whatever we do to observe the stretch of Ordinary Time between the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Ash Wednesday, whether we keep up our Christmas decorations, throw a Mardi Gras party, engage in early Lenten practices, or do not do anything different from our everyday observances - however we spend this time, we should always remember that the focus should be Christ. Christmas lights and décor aren't just pretty things - they help to remind us of the Incarnation. Mardi Gras is not an excuse to have a fun party - it is a celebration of God's gifts for us and a way to say good-bye to foods and drinks that we will be giving up for Lent. Rigorous penitential practices aren't a mere endurance test - they are meant to help us draw closer to God.
Christ must always be in the center. First, last, and always. To quote the Prayer of Saint Patrick: "Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me." If that is our approach, this Ordinary Time will help us grow deeply spiritually.
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The readings for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A, are:
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
John 1:29-34
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: The Sea of Galilee by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.