June 19, 2009
The Christian Journey
How to avoid the trap of ‘Ordinary Time’
BY FATHER JIM SAUER
Correction: After checking the web, I did not revise last week’s article regarding the latest statistics of U.S. Catholics who believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which is now 30 percent. While we must bolster this belief in the Real Presence, we cannot neglect that Christ makes himself present through the assembly, priest and Word. Together they form one great harmony.
Did everyone successfully make the switchover from “analog” to “digital” TV last Friday, June 12? I hope that everyone’s life is back to normal. Possessing nary a technical bone in my body, I did not notice anything differently. My TV operated the same after June 12 as before.
This Sunday we switch to “Ordinary Time” (although the weekday liturgies since Pentecost were already from Ordinary Time). Even after a previous article in the Message in 2008, to my chagrin I heard the misuse of “Ordinary Time” once again! “It’s Ordinary Time again, so we don’t have to do much church decoration.” “Thank God it’s Ordinary Time; our choir is taking a summer break.” “Ordinary Time is the time between ‘Major Feasts.’” “Ordinary time is when the priest wears green.”
Hoping to avoid overkill, what exactly is Ordinary Time? Ordinary Time is not in distinction to Extraordinary Time or events such as Advent and Christmas, or Lent and Easter. We simply must stop thinking of “Ordinary Time” as meaning “run of the mill,” “mundane,” “mediocre,” “plain,” “dull,” “bland” or “uninspiring.” In liturgical usage, the word “ordinary” is simple the Church’s way of numbering each week as a way of organizing our books of scripture readings and prayers. Nothing more; nothing less!
We should never ignore the Church environment. Even in Ordinary Time, is not God worthy of our best worship? What is ever “ordinary” about God’s People gathering for the Sunday Eucharist? It may serve the Church better if we dropped the term “Ordinary Time” because it’s so misunderstood, but tradition doesn’t allow me the foggiest idea of what to rename it.
How can we avoid the “well it’s Ordinary Time” trap?
1) It’s amazing how people stop eating and socializing during the summer! Keep offering refreshments after Mass; weather permitting, offer refreshments outside in a lovely shaded area.
2) Learn new hymns, refrains, service music.
3) Decorations need not be elaborate — do rearrange funeral baskets into nice bouquets. Parishioners love bringing their fresh flowers. Investigate the Japanese floral arranging of Ikebana.
4) Stress the 15th Sunday with an intercontinental display of Catholic Churches in the greeting area, or, photos of parish ministers under their particular ministry, or, your parish’s missionaries, religious sisters, brothers, priests and lay ministers involved in other parishes.
5) Posters of Benedict XVI, Bishop Gettelfinger, the local pastor and even parents who shepherd their families could enhance the 16th Sunday’s theme of “Shepherding.”
6) The 17th-21st Sundays are from John’s Gospel about the bread of life — use symbols of wicker baskets, grapes and wheat; ornately display the Gospel book.
7) A spontaneous children’s choir could form following VBS to sing their VBS theme song during Mass.
I haven’t even scratched the surface of what we could do so we don’t fall into the “ordinary time slump,” “nothing special takes place, we can take a vacation now.” Do we ever want to give God less than we can when we gather for worship? Thank you, God, for never taking a vacation from us!