Do not get me wrong, I love the holidays and the liturgical seasons that provide a time of preparation for each. For the most part though, I am glad when they are over. There is a craziness and energy around the distinctive seasons of the liturgical year that, as a youth worker, I am grateful when they are past.

Preparing for Christmas and Easter

Advent and Lent provide great opportunities for preparation. However, since I have been involved in full time youth ministry, the preparation journey is usually more about providing significant opportunities for youth and families to prepare rather than my own personal experience. Once we finally get to Christmas or Easter I feel like I missed the opportunity to fully enter into either of the seasons.

It is the same scenario for the Easter and Christmas seasons; they are over before I know it. I have been able to resolve the problem a bit though. The day after Christmas, when people are taking down their trees and lights, or a few days after Easter when the last jellybean or marshmallow peep has been eaten, I am still celebrating! I continue to wish friends and parishioners, ‘Happy Easter’ or ‘Merry Christmas’. People think I am nuts! Our diocesan director of youth ministry once said we should celebrate longer than we prepare for any event. That is exactly what the Easter season does. Think about it.

What About Ordinary Time?

As an opportunity to significantly celebrate at least one of the parts of the liturgical year I affectionately refer to it as the season of Pentecost. Which is not too far off, as ordinary time celebrates the mystery of Christ in all its aspects.

Ordinary time refers to the period of the weeks outside other distinctive liturgical seasons and comes from the Latin term, tempus per annum or time throughout the year. It starts on Monday after the celebration of the Baptism of our Lord in early January and continues until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The season resumes the Monday after Pentecost and lasts until the evening before Advent. The season of ordinary time is characterized by the color green.

The biggest reason for my fondness of ordinary time is not that ordinary means plain, bland, drab, or uninteresting, but because the name of the season comes from the words ordinal meaning numbered or ordo meaning ordered.

I like ordinary time because it is just that—ordered. There are not a lot of bells and whistles. It is dependable, reliable, and settled. Time is marked; I like that, it feels good, and I need that. Like my children, I need routine, and ordinary time is always the perfect remedy.

But, as with everything, there are exceptions. During ordinary time there are significant solemnities and holy days that are celebrated. There is still something for the folks who like a good distraction in the midst of order.

The next time you are longing for the next big celebration, the next big liturgy, stop and remember it is easy being green, and celebrate ordinary time!