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Recently, the priest mentioned that it is now Ordinary Time in the Church year. What does that mean?

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Christmas and Easter are the great feasts of the Church. Ordinary Time in the Church year refers to the periods of time outside of these feasts. In order to understand this latter period, we have to understand the meaning and influence of Christmas and Easter in our Christian lives.

These great feasts, preceded by seasons of preparation and followed by celebratory periods, are the highlights of our Christian life.

They are the "temps fort" as French-speakers would say. These "strong" or intense times of penance and celebration give us the grace and courage to carry on during the "down" times.

Eagle's wings

It's as if a powerful dose of God's love is injected into us, especially during the celebrations of Christ's death and resurrection, to carry us on God's eagle's wings through the year. We come to a realization of who we are as a resurrection people filled with joy and gratitude.

Ordinary Time, then, is given to us to live out the grace that God has graciously bestowed upon us through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Sing with joy

It is a time to sing in our hearts the joyful alleluias that the Church has given us frequently during the Easter season.

Jesus brings light into our lives through his life, death and resurrection.

It is a time to live those alleluias daily, to become more faithful to the commitment we have taken as Christians. It is a time that we are given to respond to grace and become holy. Therefore, it is anything but ordinary.

No one would deny that Easter is a time of renewed life both for nature and for Christians. It is also a season of peace and joy that permeates our whole being and shines forth so that it is visible to all.

In medieval times, some churches had laughing parties. On Easter Sunday, people would come back to afternoon Benediction followed by partying, picnicking and dancing with plenty of jokes and laughter.

Someone once said that humans can be divided into those who live in light and those who live in darkness. Jesus brings light into our lives through his life, death and resurrection.

We celebrate Ordinary Time by living in the light of the resurrection and beaming that light to all those around us. Are we a little like Moses whose face was visibly transformed by his contact with God so that people might wonder what our secret to happiness is?

The first Easter transformed people. Mary Magdalen wanted to cling to Jesus after she had lost and found him again that first Easter. But that's not what Jesus wanted of her. He wanted her to go out and tell others, to witness to him, to be his voice and presence to the poor and the lost. Peter and John and the rest of the apostles realized they could no longer hide behind closed doors but that it was up to them to proclaim Jesus' message to the world and suffer for him.

Paul rejoices

Paul tells us that he rejoiced in suffering with Christ. Do we radiate God's love and caring in times of suffering and sorrow? This, then, is the extraordinary "Ordinary Time" that Jesus wants us to live out.

This, too, is the message of Mass each Sunday (little Easter): "Ite missa est - Go, the Mass is ended." In other words, "As you are transformed by Christ's suffering, death and resurrection and as this transformation is renewed in you in this Holy Eucharist, go out to your everyday life with family and friends, to your work setting, to the whole world and bring Christ's transformative love and peace and the grace of God to the lives of others."

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