Last week, I entered Ordinary Time, along with millions of Anglicans and other Christians who mark church seasons. Ordinary Time consists of the long stretch of months extending roughly from May to November (there is a shorter period in early winter). It begins with the inspiring celebration on Pentecost Sunday of the Holy Spirit’s appearance among the early disciples of Jesus, and ends in the expectant time of Advent, prior to Christmas. But Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary.
A garden slug finds new greenery (better there than in the garden). The greening and flowering of mosses is one of the earliest signs of spring where I live. ~ æssmith photo
In this part of the world, it begins with a symphony of greens, as trees leaf out and gardens come alive again. The earth transforms itself from the drabness of winter to a daily unfolding of tiny wonders. How fitting then, that green is the colour of Ordinary Time. The garments of priests and church altar coverings will all display some variation of it during these months.
Yet Ordinary Time, like life in general and the quest in particular, presents challenges.
- Where’s the excitement, the change, the new?
- “I get so tired of green!”
- It is easier to be distracted away from wonder by empty novelty and activity.
- If we have lost or never formed our connection with God, we can’t see into the depths beneath the “ordinary.”
In my Book of Common Prayer readings, Ordinary Time begins with the Book of Job and the Letter of James, the brother of Jesus. Related to these documents you can find four words to support your quest whenever a period of Ordinary Time seems never-ending. These words are synonyms, sharing meaning but each having its own set of nuances:
- endurance
- persistence
- steadfastness
- perseverance
The first three come from the introduction to Job and the beginning verses of James in the Bible I use for daily prayer. The fourth comes from a different translation of James.
Growing up, I often heard my grandmother use the expression “the patience of Job.” Now that I’m familiar with his story, I know that Job wasn’t patient at all. To quote the introduction to Job in my study Bible, he was “an innocent man who suffered loss and endured pain through no fault of his own” but “he is persistent in his claim that he has suffered undeservedly.” In conversations with his friends, Job takes God to task for divine actions that make his life miserable.
Patience is a necessity on the quest, but endurance is a foundation stone. Often it is easier to prevail over active challenges, no matter how painful and difficult, than it is to stay true when nothing much seems to happen. Keeping minds and hearts focused on the quest requires endurance, persistence, steadfastness, and perseverance.
The Ordinary Time which began last week, for example, is not a monochrome green at all. Where I am it spans three seasons: blossoming springs, summers of sunshine and blue skies, and multi-coloured harvest autumns. Secular holidays celebrate countries, the blessing of work, and the bounty of field and farm. Christian red letter days celebrate Apostles, Evangelists, Saints and Angels. Endurance helps us slow time enough to find the extraordinary in Ordinary Time.
Resources: My study Bible is a mainstay for daily prayer. It provides plenty of reference material for any questions that might arise from the readings. There are extensive footnotes, excellent introductions, maps, and thorough essays provided.
Coogan, Michael D., ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Third Edition. [includes the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical Books]