We have about 26 weeks of Ordinary Time and are past the halfway mark. Ordinary Time takes up most of the Liturgical Year and we are quick to look past it and gear up for the next season. As a kid, I remember believing it to be some odd limbo—a season of nothingness—just mundane living.
But the Church preaches the opposite.
This is the season for renewed zeal and conviction—to give our response to Christ’s call.
We have been sent out through the Great Commission and anointed with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost—we have been given what we need to act with purpose in this season. We are reminded on the feast of St. John the Baptist to beg Christ to increase in us, as Pope Benedict XVI writes in The Spirit of the Liturgy, “Between the two dates of March 25th and December 25th comes the feast of the Forerunner, St. John the Baptist, on June 24th, at the time of the summer solstice… “He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The birthday of St. John the Baptist takes place on the date when the days begin to shorten, just as the birthday of Christ takes place when they begin again to lengthen.”
All of creation is keenly aware of the need for long summer days to fade eventually into Autumn. We are not made for sameness. Ordinary Time is a necessary reset and reorientation towards heaven.
We thrive with tangible reminders of our orientation towards heaven and our goal for each season! Here are a few ways to express our zealous faith during Ordinary Time.
The Church wears shades of green during this time as an expression of hope and new life. Wear green on green or even little accents of it in your Sunday attire.
Be not afraid of SIMPLICITY—no need to overcomplicate things in Ordinary Time. Choose that dress that just WORKS on its own or spice up a basic tee by layering your favorite necklaces and bracelets.
Classic and structured silhouettes express intentionality. Consider A-line (trapeze) or a drop waist shape in your outfit.
