Newsletter - 23rd of May 2021

21 May

It’s time to say goodbye. . .

After Pentecost the Easter season is over and Ordinary Time begins.

I’m sad to say goodbye to the Pascal Candle, to our beautiful banner of Christ’s Descent into Hades, to the book of Acts and the first letter and the gospel of St. John. We’ve been hearing from these books all through the 50 days of the Easter season. I’ll miss them – I love the Mediterranean travelogue of the adventures of St. Paul and the majestic passages from the gospel of John. And what’s not to love about the constant repetition in the first letter of John that God is love?

Monday we begin again Ordinary Time which had started after the Baptism of the Lord in January. It is often said that there is nothing “ordinary” about Ordinary Time. The word refers to the Latin, ordo, which simply means counted weeks – 1st week, 2nd week, etc. After seven weeks we stopped for the great paschal season of Lent and Easter and now we take it up again with the 8th week. There are 34 weeks of Ordinary Time and it will end on the Feast of Christ the King.

So we say goodbye to the gospel of John and say hello again to the gospel of Mark. We return to the incredible story of the earthly ministry of Jesus – talk about adventure! We will follow him as he collects disciples, prepares them for mission, heals the sick, confounds the religious leaders and teaches about the kingdom of God. Above all, as he shows himself as the promised Messiah and even more, the very Son of God. There is nothing ordinary about that.

Nancy Wood