A Sunday Thought to Start the Week Off Right
Today is the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - at least it is according to the post-Vatican II Church calendar. Before that, the Church used a different system with different nomenclature. That system still survives for those Catholics who prefer the Extraordinary Form of Mass, as well as many of the other rites, including the Eastern rites, of our Holy Catholic Church.
Under that venerable tradition, the Sundays after Pentecost were called just that. Every Sunday was designated a "Sunday after Pentecost" starting with the first, extending to the Sunday before the beginning of Advent. So today is the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost, rather than the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
I kind of like the old way of doing things here. Pentecost is a really big deal. The Holy Spirit descended upon Our Lord's disciples to enlighten and inflame the minds and hearts. Immediately Peter preached and hundreds were converted. Things took off from there as the Apostles and their successors, following Our Lord's direction, preached the Good News to the whole world. The old naming of the Sundays as "after Pentecost" kept the importance of this great feast day uppermost in our minds. So what's with switching to "Ordinary"?
Frankly, it reminds me of a bad business decision. For example, the introduction of so-called "New Coke" in 1985, known as perhaps the worst business decision ever. (You can read an interesting recounting of this at Coca-Cola's website HERE.) But at least the arguably terrible idea to replace traditional Coke was reversed after a few months of consumer protests. Naturally, the renaming of the Sundays after Pentecost, in spite of some (admittedly mild) protest, hasn't resulted in any reconsideration on the part of those in our Church in charge of such things. While the Coca Cola company did spend millions on consumer testing before making their historic decions in 1985, no such testing took place for the Sunday name change. And while Coke really did try to educate their customers about this new formula and why it was "superior" to what is now known as "classic" Coke, I don't remember any extensive effort to educate us Catholics about the change to "Ordinary."
OK, so I don't like the "Ordinary Time" thing. In fairness, as we noted during a post recently, "Ordinary Time" isn't what it might appear to be. It does not refer to what is not special; rather it has to do with the ordered life of the church during periods where we neither emphasize fasting nor feasting, penance nor celebration (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter). The Sundays during Ordinary Time are numbered to emphasize that sense of order. So there was some thought put into this. Of course, without explaining all this from time to time - and I've never heard a peep out of any priest's sermon or seen this referenced in our parish bulletin - it's likely most Catholics just think it's a time of "nothing special."
But, of course, there's always something special going on in our Holy Catholic Church. And on Sunday, whether it's called a Sunday after Pentecost, or the "Xth" Sunday in Ordinary Time, that something special happens during Mass. Whether you attend the Latin Rite (Novus Ordo or Extraordinary aka "Tridentine" Mass) or the one of the Eastern Rites (the Mass is referred to as the Divine Liturgy), or any of the other rites (and there are many) faithful to Rome, your Sunday brings you into direct contact with the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we're in the state of grace, we can receive Him, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - literally into our bodies and our souls. It's the most awesome thing that can happen to any of us. I hope this Sunday finds you appropriately awed and grateful for the privilege of attending Mass and receiving Our Lord.
Under that venerable tradition, the Sundays after Pentecost were called just that. Every Sunday was designated a "Sunday after Pentecost" starting with the first, extending to the Sunday before the beginning of Advent. So today is the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost, rather than the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
I kind of like the old way of doing things here. Pentecost is a really big deal. The Holy Spirit descended upon Our Lord's disciples to enlighten and inflame the minds and hearts. Immediately Peter preached and hundreds were converted. Things took off from there as the Apostles and their successors, following Our Lord's direction, preached the Good News to the whole world. The old naming of the Sundays as "after Pentecost" kept the importance of this great feast day uppermost in our minds. So what's with switching to "Ordinary"?
Frankly, it reminds me of a bad business decision. For example, the introduction of so-called "New Coke" in 1985, known as perhaps the worst business decision ever. (You can read an interesting recounting of this at Coca-Cola's website HERE.) But at least the arguably terrible idea to replace traditional Coke was reversed after a few months of consumer protests. Naturally, the renaming of the Sundays after Pentecost, in spite of some (admittedly mild) protest, hasn't resulted in any reconsideration on the part of those in our Church in charge of such things. While the Coca Cola company did spend millions on consumer testing before making their historic decions in 1985, no such testing took place for the Sunday name change. And while Coke really did try to educate their customers about this new formula and why it was "superior" to what is now known as "classic" Coke, I don't remember any extensive effort to educate us Catholics about the change to "Ordinary."
OK, so I don't like the "Ordinary Time" thing. In fairness, as we noted during a post recently, "Ordinary Time" isn't what it might appear to be. It does not refer to what is not special; rather it has to do with the ordered life of the church during periods where we neither emphasize fasting nor feasting, penance nor celebration (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter). The Sundays during Ordinary Time are numbered to emphasize that sense of order. So there was some thought put into this. Of course, without explaining all this from time to time - and I've never heard a peep out of any priest's sermon or seen this referenced in our parish bulletin - it's likely most Catholics just think it's a time of "nothing special."
But, of course, there's always something special going on in our Holy Catholic Church. And on Sunday, whether it's called a Sunday after Pentecost, or the "Xth" Sunday in Ordinary Time, that something special happens during Mass. Whether you attend the Latin Rite (Novus Ordo or Extraordinary aka "Tridentine" Mass) or the one of the Eastern Rites (the Mass is referred to as the Divine Liturgy), or any of the other rites (and there are many) faithful to Rome, your Sunday brings you into direct contact with the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we're in the state of grace, we can receive Him, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - literally into our bodies and our souls. It's the most awesome thing that can happen to any of us. I hope this Sunday finds you appropriately awed and grateful for the privilege of attending Mass and receiving Our Lord.
Happy Sunday!
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