By Sister Missy Gugerty, SSND
When invited to reflect on Ordinary Time, my gut response was, ORDINARY TIME … is there really still such a thing???
For years now, I feel like our world has been totally turned upside down – shocking U.S. election outcomes, COVID , famines, increased violence everywhere, the outbreak of wars, etc!
There simply doesn’t seem to be anything “ordinary” about all of this!
Then, I thought about Ordinary Time in the church. Even after 16+ years of Catholic education, the best I could come up with was that it was the time between the major liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas, Lent/Pentecost. My curiosity led me to do a deeper dive into what the Church says about Ordinary Time.
This is what I found: It is the season of the year when Catholics are encouraged to grow and mature in daily expression of their faith.
REALLY?! I thought that was our charge EVERY day, in and outside of Ordinary Time.
Next, I pondered how that all fits with my life. What does Ordinary Time look and feel like to me? Several things became clear to me.
First, I feel as if I have not had the experience of Ordinary Time liturgically or otherwise since June of 2013 when I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I imagine that may be true for anyone who struggles with any type of chronic illness.
Though an outdoors person, I was completely unfamiliar with Lyme disease. And ever since being diagnosed I have had “weird illnesses, symptoms and pains” that I have never experienced before.
I take an inordinate amount of medicine that I believe enables me to be up and walking around. Still, chronic Lyme fatigue shortens every day. At 54 years old, I had the heartbreaking task of having to resign from a full-time ministry that was so meaningful and fulfilling.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with low-grade, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Nothing ever feels ordinary about walking around with a cancer inside me.
Last November, I lost my younger brother, and learned of his passing through a Facebook post. THAT definitely didn’t feel ordinary!
Second, throughout these past 12 years of living with Lyme Disease and other challenging experiences, I have realized that I have been immensely fortunate and blessed to experience what I would view as out-of-the-ordinary kindnesses, generosity and love from family, friends, members of my health care teams, SSNDs and former colleagues.
This caring has spanned all the liturgical seasons (including Ordinary Time).
In sum, my take on Ordinary Time is this: It’s a construct of the Church that in actuality encompasses all the major liturgical seasons. It is in no way apart from them.
Throughout my illness, I have had to fully embrace Advent Hope!
Throughout my illness, I have had to embrace the Lenten suffering of Jesus, and the hope of resurrection and Easter joy!
They do not always, in fact, rarely, fall perfectly within the appropriate liturgical season, but more often within Ordinary Time.
I often think of the words of our former provincial, Sister Pat Flynn, as she explained the SSND pin to the congregation when I took first vows in 1987.
“The circle on our pin represents life, death, and ALWAYS resurrection!"
Though it's taken me some time, I’m grateful to Pat for providing, in a very tangible way, the daily interplay and overlap of the major liturgical seasons.
On the other hand, maybe she was introducing me to SSND ORDINARY TIME!
