Catholic Outlook Magazine Winter 2021
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Not So Ordinary Time! Because it is so ordinary.<br />
Our time is not spent in feasting - as in the Christmas<br />
and Easter seasons - or in fasting - as in Advent and<br />
Lent. We have time to reflect on our own life as a<br />
disciple in the light that only Christ can give; we have<br />
a chance to grow closer to Jesus and deepen our<br />
spiritual life. It is a time to walk with Jesus through<br />
the Gospels so that our minds, hearts and souls<br />
are more and more conformed to the mind and will<br />
of Christ. This is one of the goals of Ordinary Time<br />
which is represented by the final Sunday of the<br />
liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King.<br />
Another aspect of this ‘not so ordinary’ time is that<br />
we can acknowledge that we are truly loved by God.<br />
The readings from the Gospels, for this part of the<br />
liturgical year, delve more deeply into the mission and<br />
ministry of Jesus to humanity. This requires that we,<br />
in our turn, love God and love others.<br />
One of the ways we show our love of God is by<br />
spending time in prayer and worship, particularly<br />
by participating in the Sunday Mass. Here, the Trinity<br />
come to us in a special way, through the gathering<br />
of the faithful, through God’s Word and especially<br />
through the Eucharist.<br />
Nourished by the body and blood of Christ, we are<br />
then empowered to be Christ to others – to serve<br />
humanity, just as Jesus Christ came to serve us<br />
(Mark 10:45). Service requires us to be Christ to<br />
those around us, to make a difference by doing<br />
God’s good works (Matt 25:35-40).<br />
In so doing, we learn to live more authentically as<br />
a Christian. Enabled by God’s love, empowered<br />
by Christ’s sacrifice and enlivened by God’s Spirit,<br />
we are transformed – there is nothing ordinary about<br />
that! However, the true power of the season is only<br />
unlocked if you live it. Perhaps in the Ordinary Time<br />
we may find the extra-ordinariness of the Trinity. <br />
Dr Debra A Snoddy is a Lecturer in Biblical Studies<br />
at the <strong>Catholic</strong> Institute of Sydney.<br />
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