ordinary time - osv curriculum

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Ordinary Time

Background to Ordinary Time

The name, “Ordinary Time,” is a misnomer. The term in Latin is more accurately translated as “counted.” Ordinary Time is simply the period marked by counting the Sundays of the year as that do not fall in the two great liturgical cycles of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter.

Sunday is the original Christian feast. It was the Church’s day of celebration even before there was an Easter celebration and long before there was Christmas. Ordinary Time, then, is the “Season of Sundays.” The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy states:

“By a tradition handed down from the apostles and having its origin from the very day of Christ’s resurrection, the Church celebrates the paschal mystery every eighth day, which, with good reason, bears the name of the Lord’s Day or Sunday. For on this day Christ’s faithful must gather together so that by hearing the word of God and taking part in the Eucharist, they may call to mind the passion, resurrection and the glorification of the Lord Jesus and may thank God...Hence the Lord’s Day is the first holy day of all and should be proposed to the devotion of the faithful and taught to them in such a way that it may become a day of joy and freedom from work. Other celebrations, unless they be truly of greatest importance, shall not have precedence over the Sunday, the foundation and core of the whole liturgical year.” (#106)

There are thirty-four Sundays of the Church year. While the seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter focus on a specific aspect of Jesus’ saving mission, Ordinary Time unfolds his entire ministry from its early stages, in the early weeks of Ordinary Time through his three year mission, until the last days of his mission with its focus on the last days, and ultimately the last days of his life. The Sundays at the end of the liturgical cycle, closer to the Feast of Christ the King, focus on the last things and the end of Jesus’ earthly life.

This week’s journal questionIn what way does your experience of last Sunday impact and challenge your life, attitudes, and behaviors? Are there any changes you need to make in your life right now?


Ordinary TimeThe Primacy of Sunday

This is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24

Gather Light the candle.All make the sign of the cross.

Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord. All respond: Who made heaven and earth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.

Sing together Jesus, Jesus Christ: present among us. Here in this place, bread and wine of grace: Jesus Christ. Christ.

”Present Among Us” Words and Music by David Haas 2003 GIA Publications, Inc.

Leader: Let us pray.

Bow your heads and listen as the leader prays.


Antiphon I

Leader: From the rising of the sun to its setting, may the name of the Lord be praised.

Antiphon: [all pray the antiphon] This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad.

Left side: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.”

Antiphon: This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad.

Right side: The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord has struck with power. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.


All: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done; It is wonderful in our eyes!



Reading of the Word of God

Option One: Winter Ordinary Time: (3rd Sunday, Cycle B: Mark 1: 14-20)Option Two: Summer Ordinary Time: (11th Sunday, Cycle B, Mk 4: 26-34)Option Three: Fall Ordinary Time: (33rd Sunday, Cycle C, Luke 21: 5-19)Option Four: Last Sunday’s Gospel Reading.

Reader: The Gospel of the Lord.All: Thanks be to God.

Reflection on the Word of God

Option One: Winter Ordinary Time: (3rd Sunday, Cycle B: Mark 1:14-20)Questions for reflection: If Jesus asked you to come with him and fish for men and women, what would that look like at this time in your life? If you could imagine a future life of responding to that invitation, what would you be doing? Imagine you are standing with Peter and Andrew when Jesus called them, what would you be thinking? Name some obstacles to accepting Jesus’ invitation.

Option Two: Summer Ordinary Time: (11th Sunday Cycle B, Mark 4:26-34)Questions for reflection: What is Jesus trying to teach in the parable about the mustard seed? Apply that parable to your life, and name an experience in which something that started out very small developed into something very large and wonderful. Why did Jesus speak in parables? Use your imagination: Take this parable and create a modern day parable from it. Make a list of the ways in which this Gospel challenges you to be a better disciple. Name the obstacles that would keep you from realizing that goal.

Option Three: Fall Ordinary Time: (33rd Sunday, Cycle C, Luke 21:5-19)Questions for reflection: Jesus warns the disciples about what will happen before the end of the world comes. Many people through the ages believed they were living in such a time. We could look at the wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and terror events and think the end is upon us right now. He tells us that before all these indicators come to pass, we will be put on trial for our faith. There still are places in the world where Christianity is an illegal religion. If you were brought before a court judge and charged with living the Christian life, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Describe that evidence. Could you honestly say that you are willing to die for your faith? What are some little ways that you could die for the faith in your everyday life? How does this Gospel challenge you to be a better disciple?


Option Four: Last Sunday’s Gospel reading. Questions for reflection: What got your attention in last Sunday’s Gospel? How would you explain this Gospel’s meaning to someone else? How does last Sunday’s Gospel challenge you as a disciple of Christ? What could you do to show that you accept the challenges?

Ritual Action

Leader: Every Sunday we are reminded that Jesus gave his life for our sins. Let us pray that we have the strength to confess him with our mouths and to offer our lives for others as he offered his life for us. Let us profess our faith.

Leader takes the crucifix and makes a large sign of the cross over all who are gathered as they pray.

Apostles’ CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

At the words that follow, up to and including the Virgin Mary, all bow. who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried;he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and life everlasting. Amen.

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Breaking Open the RitualMaking a Difference

Name one way you are called to become the bread of life for others in your world?

Who in your world needs to be fed by your presence in their lives?

A young teenager came to the local parish at Christmas time and asked if his name could be put on the Jesse tree. His father was an alcoholic and there simply was never enough food to eat. All he wanted was food! The teens in the youth ministry discovered that there was a young man who consistently went without food and committed to take up an ongoing collection for him so he would always have enough to eat. They never knew the person they were supporting, but they were committed to caring for his needs.

Concluding Prayers

Leader: All: Amen.

All sing:Go make a difference. We can make a difference.Go make a difference in the world.

Go Make A Difference by Steve Agrisano


Going Deeper

Topic One: Origins of SundaySunday, also known as the Lord’s Day (since the earliest days of the Church), is a weekly remembrance of the Easter event of Christ. Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter concerning the Lord’s Day (Dies Domini, #1), reminds us that Sunday truly is what the psalmist proclaims: “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24). Sunday is a “fundamental feast day,” insists Pope John Paul II (Dies Domini, #2). Sunday marks the beginning of the week and holds deep meaning for Christians for each day gives witness to God’s glory.

Our Jewish ancestors used prayer to mark off a seven-day week. The commandment to make holy the Lord’s Day is a reminder that the “rest” of this day is a memorial of God’s mercy. In ancient times it was suggested that the seven planets somehow were instrumental in the division of and marking of time. We hear echoes of such ideas in the words, “Sun-day”, “Moon-Day,” and “Saturn-day”.

The end of the week, the seventh day became the Sabbath. The Sabbath was understood as a testimony to God’s creative power witnessed in the creation of the world, to God’s deliver-ance of the slaves out of bondage and to the God who rested on the seventh day.

Christians met on the eighth day-the first day of the week. Sunday is called the eighth day, the first day of the week, because it is a day unlike all the other days of the week. The eighth day is significant because Christians met the risen Christ when they met eight days after his resur-rection. Thus, the eighth day is an encounter with the risen Christ.

This week’s reflection question What does it mean to you that God “rested” on the seventh day? In what way does your family honor the Third Commandment and the precept of the Church that instruct us to make holy the Sabbath and keep holy the Lord’s Day? Name some ways in which you could make the Sabbath holy? The easy answer is by going to Mass and encouraging your family to at-tend with you. What are some other ways?


Topic Two: Meaning of SundayWhen we meet the risen Christ in the Sunday liturgy we celebrate, remember and bring into our midst those things that were promised to God’s people during the last days. God promised to send his Holy Spirit. God promised that his mercy would be given to everyone and that his kingdom would come into being. When Christians gather on Sunday, the eighth day, they gather on the “dawning” of the days that were promised by God. We are living in the dawning of God’s new kingdom—a time in which the lion will lay with the lamb and those who are sorrowful will be consoled. Sunday is the Lord’s Day because it is a day in which we gather to meet the risen Lord.

This week’s relfection questionEvery Sunday is a “mini” Easter event and you are invited to participate in the sacrifice of Calvary. Describe what you would like to bring to the Lord’s Table from your everyday life. In what way are you willing to suffer as Jesus allowed his Body to be broken in suffering for others? Who in your life right now needs you to allow yourself to suffer for them?

Topic Three: Names for SundayThe Sunday celebration has been know by different names throughout the Church’s history. Names for Sunday: “the eighth day” “the Lord’s Day” “day of the sun” “day of light/sun” “day of fire” “day of faith” “day of the Church” “day of hope” “indispensable day!”

This week’s reflection questionsHave you ever had an experience of Sunday Mass in which Sunday was truly a day of hope, a day of faith, a day of the Church, and a day of fire? Describe the experience. What did it mean to you? How did it impact your life?


Topic Four: Making the Sabbath HolyOne way we follow the Lord’s command to keep the Lord’s Day holy is by remembering and giving praise and thanks to God for all the marvelous works of creation; and most importantly the work of our redemption through the sending of his Son, Jesus. How do we engage in this remembering? First we gather as Christians around the Lord’s banquet table. Second, we tell the wonderful stories of God’s wondrous accomplishments as proclaimed in the Sacred Scriptures. Third, we remember Christ’s sacrifice for us-we give God thanks and praise, we take, bless, break and share the Body and Blood of Christ. Fourth, we are sent forth to become what we have eaten and shared for others out in the world. Our attendance and participation in Sunday Mass is very important. Every person’s presence is needed since it is the gathering of the united Body of Christ to sing and proclaim the glory of God, to feast at his table, and to go our and make a difference in the world.

This week’s journal questionWhat could you do to make the Sabbath more holy? What are some concrete steps you can take that will assist you in making Sunday the most meaningful day of the week?

ordinary time - osv curriculum

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