The Green Season
The Green Season ~ Embracing Ordinary Time and Its Sacred Interruptions
A long-form reflective blog post on Ordinary Time, emphasizing how it is punctuated by key Christian feasts and rooted in the rhythm of spiritual growth.
When we think of the Church year, our minds often leap to the high seasons: Advent’s holy waiting, Lent’s penitent longing, and the dazzling joy of Easter. These are the seasons that feel dramatic, that tug at our hearts with vivid imagery and rituals. Yet the longest stretch of the liturgical year, the one we call Ordinary Time, often passes quietly, hidden in green vestments and unassuming Sundays.
But Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary.
Rooted in the spiritual soil of constancy and daily faithfulness, Ordinary Time offers a deep invitation: to meet God not only in mountaintop moments, but in the slow, sacred unfolding of daily life. And even this seemingly “ordinary” season is punctuated by radiant feasts. Reminders that God’s glory breaks into our lives when we least expect it.
What Is Ordinary Time?
Ordinary Time is the liturgical period outside of the major penitential and festive seasons. It occurs in two segments:
- Between Christmas and Lent (starting with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord)
- Between Pentecost and Advent (starting the day after Pentecost Monday and ending with the Feast of Christ the King)
The term “ordinary” comes from the Latin ordinalis, meaning “numbered” or “ordered.” Thus, these Sundays are counted (Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Third Sunday, etc.), not because they are mundane, but because they mark the ordered progress of our journey with Christ.
The color for Ordinary Time is green: symbolic of growth, life, and hope.
The Spiritual Focus of Ordinary Time
Unlike Advent or Lent, which have specific preparatory themes, Ordinary Time emphasizes the public ministry of Jesus: His teachings, parables, miracles, and encounters with people. The readings in the Mass walk us, week by week, through the Gospels, especially Matthew, Mark, and Luke in their respective years of the lectionary cycle.
This season calls us to spiritual maturity, to daily discipleship, and to learning how to live the Gospel in ordinary circumstances: in family life, work, relationships, and personal prayer. In this way, Ordinary Time becomes a sacred training ground for holiness in daily living.
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” (Luke 16:10)
