In the Midst of the Ordinary

Welcome to the August post of the Journey through 2013 blog along. The purpose for this series is to explore an area of life in a purposeful manner. I'm so thankful that Mathnerd is willing to join in the fun!

At the beginning of this series, I planned out the topics while also allowing some flexibility to change the topic. I was pretty firm on the topics for the first part of the year but in August things got a little fuzzy. So I'm making some topic changes! If you compare the list at the bottom of this post, you'll see that I've changed topics for most of the rest of the year. For August, I wanted to reflect on the idea of Ordinary time 

The church year has different seasons - Advent is the preparation for Christmas, Epiphany comes after Christmas. Then Ordinary time. Then Lent, which is preparation for Easter, Easter, then Pentecost and then Ordinary time. When I first saw the note of Ordinary time on the church bulletin many years ago, I was a bit confused but didn't ask many questions. It didn't make sense but then I was switching to a different church and style of worship. I just went with the flow and didn't give it much thought. Over the past year as I've purposefully entered into the Catholic church, I was again greeted with the idea of Ordinary time and thought I should reconsider its meaning.

The words themselves seem rather explanatory but what exactly do they mean? Does "Ordinary" mean boring? dull? everyday humdrums? Is "Time" an actual timeframe or just a idea of time? In a way, it seems like a quiet time during the church year - it is without the flair of the Easter Season, the preparation of Advent or the penitential atmosphere of Lent. It is the season that is not only to be endured but to be celebrated. For it is that time to persevere and hold onto your faith even when things seem bland.

Consider life in general. People look forward to the great celebratory milestones - the high school or college graduation, the wedding, a new baby. And then there are the moments of mourning - a failed class, difficult health, or the death of a loved one. Sometimes these can be defining moments but most often, life is lived in the daily mundane activities. The decision we make to get up in the morning, brush our teeth and head into work. The choice to hug our family and tell them we love them. The patience of wading through piles of laundry, bill paying, and dish washing. These are the things of the ordinary that lead to the extraordinary. Without persevering through these times of repetitive tasks, we cannot appreciate those amazing times.

It is the same with faith. The Ordinary Time reminds us of the need to pray daily, attend mass/church and spend time with others living life together. Without the challenge to push through the ordinary, we cannot fully meet the celebratory and will miss out on its sweetness when it does arrive.

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Journey into Catholicism

Jan - Epiphany
Feb - Love
March - Lent
April - Easter
May -Pentecost
June - Birthday Bliss
July - Saint Day
August - Ordinary Time / Częstochowa
September  - Anticipation of Waiting
October - A Year's Reflection
November - Advent Preparation
December - Christmas