The Season after Pentecost is the longest in the church year, extending from Pentecost (50 days after Easter) for 27 Sundays in a row until the Season of Advent. It’s called “ordinary” time because the Sundays are numbered in an ordinal pattern.
Perhaps even more meaningful is that the lessons shared in the liturgy of the Season after Pentecost are focused on how we live each ordinary day as followers of Christ. How do we, how can we, grow more like Jesus in our everyday habits, routines, and interactions? It takes a long period of concentrated awareness to live as Christ wants us to live. For 27 consecutive Sundays, we hear stories inviting us to grow into a bigger understanding of the Kingdom of God.
A Prayer for Ordinary Time
God of Eternity,
As I walk the path of Ordinary Time, help me to count the many ways you are present–
- in the comings and goings of family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances;
- in the sounds of summer and the beauty of your magnificent creation;
- in the daily routines and responsibilities that make up the rhythm of my days;
Make all time extra-ordinary as I seek to become more attuned to your presence.
Amen.