Good Old Summertime: Sacred Time, Though ‘Ordinary’Read Time 9 min

Summer is here, and the long days with all the accompanying hot and humid weather lets us know it for sure! Many will be fortunate during this time to take a vacation and relax a bit with family and friends. During the good old summertime, we might take the opportunity to recharge and even begin to evaluate our spiritual life and devotional life and how it impacts our day-to-day routine — our ordinary life.

It so happens that much of the summer falls into “Ordinary Time” of the liturgical year. Ordinary Time is defined as a liturgical “season” that occurs a couple of different times of the year: between the Solemnity of the Epiphany and Lent, and between the Solemnity of Pentecost and Advent. Pope Benedict XVI had this to say about Ordinary Time: “The beauty of this season lies in the fact that it invites us to live our ordinary life … as a journey of holiness, that is, of faith and friendship with Jesus continually discovered and rediscovered as Teacher and Lord, the Way, the Truth and the Life of man.” (Angelus Address, 25 January, 2006) These days after Epiphany and days after Pentecost are a good time to consider how we spend our days, i.e., how we use our time.

As Christians, time matters and so does the liturgical year. The Catechism of the Catholic Church helps give us some insight into why when it teaches that “Beginning with the Easter Triduum as its source of light, the new age of the Resurrection fills the whole liturgical year with its brilliance. Gradually, on either side of this source, the year is transfigured by the liturgy. It really is a ‘year of the Lord’s favor.’ The economy of salvation is at work within the framework of time, but since its fulfillment in the Passover of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the culmination of history is anticipated ‘as a foretaste,’ and the kingdom of God enters into our time.” Chronological time, years, months, days, hours and minutes of our lives are impacted by God’s kingdom and transformed by God’s sanctifying grace received in and through the “ordinary” (regular, consistent and fitting) sacramental life. Indeed, time — the time we have been given — can become “sacred,” being set apart for God’s use.

Preface V of the Sundays in Ordinary Time helps make this idea clear: “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For you laid the foundations of the world and have arranged the changing of times and seasons; you formed man in your own image and set humanity over the whole world in all its wonder, to rule in your name over all you have made and for ever praise you in your mighty works, through Christ our Lord.” We have been given a beautiful and awe-inspiring duty to praise God and build his kingdom of merciful love every day of our lives.

During these summer days, perhaps we can look at how we might liturgically and devotionally shape our days, months and years as we prepare for heaven. In addition to participating in the sacramental life of the Church, e.g., Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Penance, what might we be doing to bolster our devotional life? The document “Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy” suggests that it is crucial that popular devotions be in harmony with the liturgy, drawing inspiration from it and ultimately leading back to it because “the liturgy and popular piety are two forms of worship which are in mutual and fruitful relationship with each other.” (No. 58) In order to worship well, something to consider is the customary dedications for the months of the year. Since at least the 16th century, Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Here are the more common ones:

• January — The Holy Name of Jesus
• February — The Holy Family
• March — St. Joseph
• April — The Most Blessed Sacrament
• May — The Blessed Virgin Mary
• June — The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
• July — The Most Precious Blood
• August — The Immaculate Heart of Mary
• September — Our Lady of Sorrows or The Holy Guardian Angels
• October — The Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• November — The Holy Souls in Purgatory
• December — The Immaculate Conception

We could even consider how we focus on spiritual matters each day of the week. We are reminded by Eucharistic Prayer III how we are called to give praise and thanks to God daily, “You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.” Traditionally, the days of the week have a customary devotional focus that might inspire our prayer:

• Sundays — Resurrection and the Holy and Undivided Trinity
• Mondays — The Holy Spirit and the Souls in Purgatory
• Tuesdays — The Holy Angels
• Wednesdays — St. Joseph
• Thursdays — The Most Blessed Sacrament
• Fridays — Christ’s Passion and His Most Sacred Heart
• Saturdays — The Most Blessed Virgin and her Immaculate Heart

As we take time this summer to relax, enjoy the beauty of creation and spend quality time with our families and friends, let’s prepare ourselves to make what spiritually matters ordinary, i.e., regular and lifegiving, so that all we say and do might help to build God’s kingdom and prepare us for eternal life with God, the Blessed Mother and all of the saints and angels. Enjoy the rest of summer!