Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Christmas is finally over, and we now begin the season that is referred to as “Ordinary Time.” The “Ordinary” of Ordinary Time is not, however, contrasted with the “Extraordinary” (there is no season called “Extraordinary Time”). Rather, the word Ordinary refers to the ordinal numbers. In other words, this is a season where we count our time, and the season is named for the fact that we count our time. We might make a comparison to newborn babies or wedding anniversaries. When a baby is born, we count the weeks, telling people that the baby is “three weeks” old or “three months old.” But those words do not simply indicate numbers; they also indicate how long we have been together. We have taken care of the baby, tending to the baby, for three weeks or three months. It has been three weeks since that child came into our lives to change our world forever. Likewise, when a couple is married, they count the years of their marriage. To be married five years or fifty years indicates more than just time that has passed. It indicates how we have spent that time, loving and being loved by another person through good times and bad.
So today we begin Ordinary Time. This is our time to go about daily life, loving and being loved by God, walking with Jesus, recognizing that he has changed our world forever and that he influences everything we do each day. Our gospel passage from Mark is a perfect way to begin our days of counting our time with the Lord. In this excerpt, we hear the call of Simon, Andrew, James and John. These fishermen left what they were doing and followed Jesus unreservedly. This is what we are called to do, and it is what we are particularly attentive to during this season of Ordinary Time.
Often we may find ourselves in a state of procrastination, whether with laundry, or dishes, or a phone call, or an unpleasant work task. Sometimes we know that something is good for us, and we still put off doing that task because of the demands it makes upon us. Today we are called to follow Jesus. “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:2). This is not something that we should put off until next week or next month. No!!! We are called, right now, to follow Jesus, to repent and believe in the gospel.
We are believing in the gospel when we allow even our suffering to unite us to Christ. We are repenting when we acknowledge our sins and let them be an occasion for divine forgiveness, growth in virtue, and the practice of accepting God’s grace in our lives. We are following Jesus when we count our weeks with him, walking daily with him, and remembering him in everything that we do. Let us today reflect on the Ordinary Time that is to come. Let us pray that we might live this time in commitment to God.
Maria Morrow