Why is ordinary time in the church year

When is the season? Technically, Ordinary Time has two parts, but it remains one season. The first part begins right after the feast of the Epiphany and runs until Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent begins.

This part is typically about twice the length of the first. Ordinary Time typically contains about 33 or 34 weeks, depending on how other Catholic Church feast days fall. Each of these weeks is denoted by the passing of time:. The liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green. This is to represent the time of growth and expansion of the Church following the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Green is a very natural color, and is often a symbol for growth and new life. What are we supposed to do? Like all liturgical seasons, Ordinary Time is meant to be lived! We are called to be active participants! Participating in Ordinary Time means participating in the everyday life of Jesus. This is the time of conversion.

This is living the life of Christ. Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ. Social media. The list could go on. But what would life look like if you were caught up in Christ? Green has traditionally been associated with new life and growth. Even in Hebrew in the Old Testament, the same word for the color "green" also means "young.

However, many churches introduce variety into the color scheme during this part of the year. Some churches coordinate parament colors with sanctuary banners that present various biblical themes during this part of the year.

The most often used alternate colors for Ordinary Time are bronze or copper, olive, and aqua with maroon showing up occasionally.

Other traditions observe a Pentecost Season extending for the eleven to sixteen Sundays depending on the date of Easter beginning with Pentecost Sunday and running through the next to last Sunday of August. Then beginning with the last Sunday of August, they count the remaining thirteen or fourteen Sundays until the beginning of Advent as Kingdomtide in the Methodist tradition or Dominiontide in other churches , climaxing with the Christ the King Sunday.

This serves to break up the long stretch of Ordinary Time following Pentecost into two seasons that can carry different emphases. The season of Pentecost usually focuses on the evangelical mission of the church to the world and its responsibility in carrying out that mission of proclamation.

That emphasis often extends into Ordinary Time. These are becoming increasingly popular ways to flesh out the themes of the Church in the World during Ordinary Time by focusing on heritage and the faithfulness of those in the past. The season of Kingdomtide celebrates Christ as King and Sovereign of the world, emphasizing God's Dominion over all of creation. The focus in this season is often on social justice and action as an expression of the Lordship of God over his people and the world.

List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. By ThoughtCo. Updated September 24, Cite this Article Format. The Liturgical Seasons of the Catholic Church. The Season of Advent in the Catholic Church. Catholic Liturgical Calendar for Advent. The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. Is the Date of Easter Related to Passover? Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for LearnReligions. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes.