Ordinary – it’s a word that implies “nothing special,” “commonplace,” having no distinctive features.

When we talk about Ordinary Time of the liturgical year in the Church, we may think of it as a time when nothing special is going on in between the beautiful and meaningful seasons of Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

While the special seasons of the Church include such important events as the Incarnation, Jesus’ death on the Cross, Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Ordinary Time allows us to journey with Jesus as his life unfolds.

There is nothing ordinary about that.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s describes Ordinary Time as “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.”

As adults, we may have an understanding of what that means, but how can we impart such a complex concept to students?

Start with the small things. Children learn quickly that there can be no big things without the small things. Whether working with numbers or Legos or magnetic tiles, it’s visually obvious that the first small piece is needed in order to make something big.

It’s like that in religious education as well. With young children we start with something they understand – love – and repeatedly remind them that God loves them. Of course, love is not really a small thing or an ordinary thing, but it is a first thing if children are to grow into adults who want to know and love God, and to come to understand how each step in Jesus’ daily life, each decision, each person he met, each hour of prayer, led him to those important events that we remember, honor and celebrate during Christmas and Easter.

How can Ordinary Time be included in the classroom?

Begin with the color green – The liturgical color for Ordinary time is green. With younger students who cannot yet grasp the meaning of ordinary, changing colors on the prayer table or classroom displays can help them understand that this time in our faith life (when we try to get to know Jesus better) is a time of growth, like the flowers and plants of spring. Nature is a wonderful teacher for growing faith. Also, keep a liturgical color calendar in your classroom. It serves as a visible reminder to students that there are distinct seasons in the life of the Church.

Rewrite a chapter in Jesus’ life – Choose one of your favorite stories about Jesus from the Gospels, read it with the students, and then ask them how Jesus’ life, and the life of those in the story, might have changed if that event hadn’t happened. Bring the discussion back to the significance of the event, what it has taught millions of people since then, how it has been one of the building blocks of our faith. Following Jesus during Ordinary time helps us to build our faith.

Remind students they are disciples – Ordinary time is an opportunity to become familiar with the life of the Apostles, the first disciples, as they accompanied Jesus for three years on his mission. They were ordinary men, with distinct personalities, strengths and weaknesses. They were chosen by God for a purpose and made an extraordinary difference for the world to come. The calling of the Apostles appears in all four Gospels. Read, with or for students, Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:14-20, Luke 5:1-11, and John 1:35-51. Allow students to discuss their own strengths and weaknesses and ways in which they can use them to do great things for God.

For Teachers: For those who wish to gain a better sense of who the Apostles were, I enjoyed “Twelve Ordinary Men” by John MacArthur. MacArthur writes about the Apostles from known facts in the Bible, provides additional information from church tradition, and focuses on their character qualities. Ordinary time is the perfect time to consider the extraordinary possibilities of ordinary people.

To read more about liturgical year and seasons of the Church visit Liturgical Year and Calendar | USCCB.

About the Author
Mary Clifford Morrell, mother of six and grandmother to ten, is a Catholic journalist, editor, and author who has served the Dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey; Burlington, Vermont, and RENEW International in the areas of religious education and communication.