After our celebration of the final days of the Christmas season last weekend, we once again return this weekend to Ordinary Time. We will remain in Ordinary Time until we start the holy season of Lent at the beginning of March. The English name “Ordinary Time" is the translation of the Latin term “tempus per annum” (literally "time through the year"). This doesn't mean that Ordinary Time is mundane or nothing special. This means that, because Ordinary Time takes up more than half of the liturgical year and is not one of the specially designated liturgical seasons, it is referred to as the "time through the year.”
Ordinary time does not mean that we get a break from the Liturgical Year. Throughout Ordinary Time, we continue to celebrate the mystery of Christ in all its aspects. We have different liturgical celebrations throughout Ordinary Time. We celebrate the saints whose feast days fall during Ordinary Time. And we mark special times of prayer and devotion in the Church during Ordinary Time, a couple of which will be commemorated this upcoming week. For the week of January 18 - 25, we celebrate a week of prayer for Christian unity, a tradition that is over 100 years old. Starting on January 19, the Church also prays for the Gospel of Life, with the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children taking place on January 22, the anniversary of the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision.
We are looking forward to our commemoration of Lent this year. We have been dealing with the pandemic through the Lenten season these past two years. We will see where we are at in March in terms of the pandemic to see what Lenten observances are possible this year. We are glad we have the outdoor stations of the cross here at St Jude, which is always a meaningful Lenten devotion for us.
We express our gratitude to all of you for being a part of the St Jude community. Have a blessed week everyone - Father Lincoln.
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