Colors of the Altar

ORDINARY TIME?

You may have noticed that the colors of the altar frontal and around the church change during the year. Now through Ash Wednesday (February 22) you will see the ones most familiar to you, since we use them for more than half of the year. The clergy’s stoles will be green, a color that evokes life and growth. In the Advent and Christmas season we celebrate the Incarnation – when God became flesh and came to dwell among us. Now we have the opportunity to live and grow in faith.

In the church calendar these weeks are called Ordinary Time. Ordinary in this sense does not mean common, regular, mundane, or run of the mill. Ordinary Time comes from the word “ordinal” as in “ordinal numbers,” first, second, third, fourth. It is a way of counting that is used to determine the readings and certain prayers for each service.

But there is a message when we don’t know that the word “Ordinary” actually derives from counting. There is a message from “Ordinary Time” when we think it means “usual”, “common”, “every-day, Most of the year is ordinary – usual, common, every-day. Most of our life, in fact, is ordinary. The incarnation (Advent/Christmas), the death and resurrection of Christ (Lent/Easter), make the year extraordinary. Otherwise, all would be ordinary. The incarnation, the death and resurrection of Christ, make our life extraordinary.

TIME?

You may have noticed that the colors of the altar frontal and around the church change during the year. Now through Ash Wednesday (February 22) you will see the ones most familiar to you, since we use them for more than half of the year. The clergy’s stoles will be green, a color that evokes life and growth. In the Advent and Christmas season we celebrate the Incarnation – when God became flesh and came to dwell among us. Now we have the opportunity to live and grow in faith.

In the church calendar these weeks are called Ordinary Time. Ordinary in this sense does not mean common, regular, mundane, or run of the mill. Ordinary Time comes from the word “ordinal” as in “ordinal numbers,” first, second, third, fourth. It is a way of counting that is used to determine the readings and certain prayers for each service.

But there is a message when we don’t know that the word “Ordinary” actually derives from counting. There is a message from “Ordinary Time” when we think it means “usual”, “common”, “every-day, Most of the year is ordinary – usual, common, every-day. Most of our life, in fact, is ordinary. The incarnation (Advent/Christmas), the death and resurrection of Christ (Lent/Easter), make the year extraordinary. Otherwise, all would be ordinary. The incarnation, the death and resurrection of Christ, make our life extraordinary.