Ordinary Time

This Sunday marks a return to the Sundays of Ordinary time.  The word ordinary in this sense doesn’t mean common, mundane, or humdrum.  Rather, ordinary comes from the word ordinal as in ordinal numbers.  Ordinary Time is simply the way the Church counts the weeks in between the other liturgical seasons such as Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.  From the beginning, Sunday has been a day meant to be extraordinary, as we hear in the book of Deuteronomy:

Observe the sabbath day—keep it holy, as the LORD, your God, commanded you.  Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God. You shall not do any work, either you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey or any work animal, or the resident alien within your gates, so that your male and female slave may rest as you do. Remember that you too were once slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD, your God, brought you out from there with a strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the LORD, your God, has commanded you to observe the sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)

The Church calls Sunday the first holy day of all, because the first time Christians began to gather on a regular basis happened on Sunday.  We are encouraged to keep the day by setting aside weekly routines and giving ourselves permission to relax, be still and partake in only those things which refresh our spirits.  Our work, after all, will never be complete.  As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “Labor is a craft, but perfect rest is an art—the Sabbath teaches all beings whom to praise.”