COLUMN: Grey Matters – Ordinary time

“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life… And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.” – William Martin (The Parent’s Tao Te Ching)

When we think of the Church year, we naturally gravitate toward the great seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. These are the dramatic moments of anticipation, celebration, sacrifice, and resurrection. Yet the largest portion of the liturgical year is neither festive nor dramatic. It is known as Ordinary Time, and it may be the most overlooked gift in the Church calendar.

Our modern culture has conditioned us to think of the term “ordinary” as dull and something to be avoided. In our house, my parents did not tolerate the phrase ‘I’m bored’. There was always something to do. However, Ordinary Time is important. What would our world be if it wasn’t for the everyday faithfulness of God, His creation and the helpers around us?

Unlike Advent and Lent, which prepare us for specific celebrations, Ordinary Time focuses on the ongoing life of faith. It is a season not of dramatic spiritual highs but of patient growth. Nature offers a helpful comparison. A gardener may delight in the excitement of planting season and marvel at the beauty of harvest. However, most of the year is spent tending, watering, weeding, and waiting. Growth happens quietly. The most significant changes occur gradually beneath the surface. As William Martin says above, our children and grandchildren don’t need the pressure of being extraordinary, but a mentoring of being faithful with the ordinary.

The Christian life often works the same way. While conversion experiences, retreats, and holy days can be powerful, spiritual maturity is usually formed through daily prayer, faithful worship, acts of kindness, and perseverance in ordinary daily responsibilities. Ordinary Time reminds us that holiness is cultivated in the small moments that make up most of life.

One of the greatest gifts of Ordinary Time is its affirmation that God is present in everyday life.

The Gospels proclaimed during these weeks often focus on Jesus’ public ministry: teaching, healing, walking with his disciples, blessing children, and sharing meals. These stories reveal a Savior who enters ordinary human experiences. He meets people in villages, homes, workplaces, and on dusty roads.

This has profound implications for us today. God is not encountered only in extraordinary spiritual experiences. He is present in family meals, daily work, conversations with neighbors, and quiet acts of service. Ordinary Time invites us to recognize that every day can be a holy day.

In many churches, the liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green. This is fitting because green symbolizes growth, life, and hope. Green reminds worshippers that faith is alive and developing. The season encourages steady progress rather than instant transformation. In a culture that often prizes speed, efficiency, and dramatic results, Ordinary Time teaches a different lesson: meaningful growth takes time.

Modern life frequently conditions people to seek constant excitement and novelty. Social media, entertainment, and consumer culture often create the expectation that every moment should be extraordinary. The Church calendar offers a healthier rhythm. After the celebrations of Christmas and Easter, Ordinary Time reminds believers that life is not sustained by excitement alone. Deep spiritual roots develop through prayer when no special emotions are present, through worship when attendance feels routine, and through service when recognition is absent.

Far from being a season to endure until the next major feast arrives, Ordinary Time is a reminder that the life itself is lived one day at a time. In those ordinary days, God wants to quietly perform the extraordinary work of transforming our hearts. If wanting to learn more about the church calendar and doing it with children, I highly recommend Danielle Hitchen’s book Sacred Seasons. Hitchen has this to say about Ordinary Time: “When Jesus arrived in the tender flesh and blood of an infant, he did so for one reason: to redeem every single part of creation that we might be restored to God, to each other, and to all the created order.”

Gary Dyck is a chaplain and spiritual care provider at a hospital and personal care home in the Southeast.