Ordinary Summer Days

Deacon Daniel Zavala (L) and Father Brijil Lawrence (R) celebrate Mass on July 2023. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)

We are in what is commonly called the “dog days of summer,” when the heat never lets up and the days and weeks drag on, and on, and on. If we get a vacation, it’s too short. If we can’t get time off, weeks are brutal, and the cooldown of fall and the holidays seems so very far away. 

For Catholics, the “green” days of Ordinary Time can feel similar. We see few, if any, “smells and bells” or extra candles — no Advent or Lent to keep our attention. Just green every Sunday for what seems like forever.

And yet, these “ordinary” times are not ordinary in the way we usually think about this word. Ordinary Time in the Church year doesn’t mean the ho-hum weeks between the exciting events of our faith. Instead, it’s the time when we celebrate the ordered passage of time. It’s when we can deepen our faith in the midst of everyday life.

For Catholics the word ordinary speaks to the typical things that happen in the life of the Church. Just like it is ordinary in our personal life to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, Ordinary Time in the Church is full of feasts and solemnities for saints as well as other special days on the liturgical calendar.

The easiest way to stay in tune with these special days is through attending daily Mass or reading the daily readings when you can. There is something special about something personal and meaningful being an ordinary part of my day. I tell my wife I love her every day, not just on special occasions. Doing it regularly is what makes it special. 

I realize that attending Mass during the week can be hard for many people because the times for Mass do not usually line up with our schedules, but even getting to one or two a year is special. I love daily Mass because it is a quieter experience of Mass. With fewer people usually and less music, the readings and Eucharist stand out in a special way.

But this is not the only way to enhance our Ordinary Time. Take, for instance, the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent. What many people do not know is this used to be required all year. For many reasons, the Church changed this requirement, but it did not obliterate it; in fact, the Church still encourages some type of fasting or abstinence every Friday as a way to commemorate the day of the week that Jesus died.

Here is how the U.S. bishops explain it:
“Friday should be in each week something of what Lent is in the entire year. For this reason, we urge all to prepare for that weekly Easter that comes with each Sunday by freely making of every Friday a day of self-denial and mortification in prayerful remembrance of the passion of Jesus Christ” (From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence). 

They go on to say these acts of self-denial can take many forms. For sure it can mean abstaining from meat every Friday, but it can also mean any form of sacrifice, like the things we often give up or do extra during Lent. We can fast from coffee, or the snooze alarm, or fast foods on Fridays. Or maybe we make a special effort to visit a homebound person, or volunteer somewhere, or connect with an old friend every Friday.

The options are endless, but the reward for making what seems extraordinary in Lent an ordinary part of our week, is immeasurable.

It is not an accident Ordinary Time falls during the summer months when crops grow toward a fall harvest. The Ordinary Time of the Church year is here to help make growing in faith an ordinary part of our lives. 

Jeff Hedglen has been working in youth, campus, and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Fort Worth since 1986. He is currently the Director of Campus Ministry for the University Catholic Community at the University of Texas at Arlington. Find his regular columns for the North Texas Catholic here.