During the past several weeks we have passed through an extraordinarily rich period of the church’s liturgical year—the seasons of Advent and Christmas. But during this past week we have returned to that period of liturgical time the Church calls Ordinary Time.

Ordinary Time is a period of thirty-four weeks and this year, Ordinary Time begand on Monday, January 13 and continues until Tuesday, April 4, when it will be interrupted by the seasons of Lent and Easter. Ordinary Time will then resume on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday, June 9, and continue until November 23, the Feast of Christ the King. This sequence can be summarized in this way:

Ordinary Time Begins January 13 — Lent and Easter — Ordinary Time Resumes June 9

The season of Ordinary Time focuses our attention on the ministry of Jesus rather than on a particular mystery such as the Incarnation, which we celebrate at Christmas, or the Resurrection, which we celebrate at Easter. In addition to focusing on Jesus’ ministry and proclamation of the kingdom of God, Ordinary Time celebrates feast days in honor of Mary, the Apostles, and the Saints to remind us of the Christian holiness to which we have been called.

During Ordinary Time, the Sunday Lectionary employs a three year cycle during which we read from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. For example, last year we read through the Gospel of Luke during the Sundays of Ordinary Time. This year we will read from the Gospel of Matthew, and next year from the Gospel of Mark. In addition to reading from the Gospel of Matthew during 2014, we will also read from the following letters of Saint Paul: 1 Corinthians (weeks 1-8), Romans (weeks 9-24), Philippians (weeks 25-28) and 1 Thessalonians (weeks 29-33).

We will hear a good portion of the New Testament read on the Sundays of Ordinary Time in the coming year. But if we are to benefit from what we hear, we need to prepare for what we will hear each Sunday. You can do this in several ways. For example, you can read through the Gospel of Matthew slowly and meditatively several times this year, making this Gospel the focus of your prayer life. You can read Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, and Thessalonians this year, making them the focal point of your spiritual reading. Or, you can read the Sunday readings in advance as they appear in our weekly email distribution, Mad Mimi. In the weeks ahead I will assist you in this process by summarizing some things you should know about the Gospel of Matthew and these letters so that you can read them with profit and delight.

Ordinary Time is quite ordinary when compared to Advent, Lent, and Easter, but it can be an extraordinary time of grace if we take advantage of this time to become familiar with our Lord’s ministry. Ordinary Time teaches us that every time and season is filled with God’s grace. Our challenge is to accept that grace so that our ordinary lives will be filled with God’s extraordinary love for us.