"Ordinary" Time

If you look on the front of the bulletin this Sunday, you'll notice that we call it the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In 'church-talk' ordinary does not mean same-ol', ho-hum, plain and boring. It means 'counted', like in grade school math ordinal numbers indicate the order in which something occurs (forgive my imprecision in that definition: I'm not a math major!). So right now, when we are not in a specific season of the Church year like Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter, or celebrating some special feast, we keep track of the rest of the Sundays in counted order.

And yet in a sense, 'ordinary time' does refer to the everyday, the regular, the routine - but a regular living that is far from boring!

Did you know that every season of the Church year has a color that is associated with it? Purple or deep blue for Advent, white or gold for Christmas and Easter, purple for Lent, and red for feasts of the Holy Spirit or of Martyrs.

Green is the color of Ordinary Time -- when you go to Mass this weekend, look around - notice how the cloth on the altar and the ambo (lectern) and the vestments that the priest and deacon wears are green. You could talk with your children about the color green - what do you and they associate with that color? (hint: look at the plants and grass ... they are all about life and growth! And after this recent rain, they are growing quickly!)

The Gospel readings during Ordinary Time mostly focus on the topic of living and growing, and we often get to hear Jesus teach us through parables (stories). For instance, a few weeks ago, he told the story of the "Good Samaritan" to help us think about how to treat others, and who to consider as our neighbor. A couple weeks ago, he was counseling Martha not to get so caught up in the details of impressing people that she missed out in being with people. The Gospel this weekend has a sobering warning not to confuse your life with your possessions.  Maybe each week in Ordinary Time, you and your child could figure out the point or moral to the Gospel together, and then see what it means for you in your life, right now!

Baptisms this Sunday!

At many of our parish masses this weekend, we will be celebrating baptisms. This presents a wonderful opportunity for you to talk with your child about baptism!

What's your story? If your child has been baptized, would they remember anything about the day? Most probably not, if they were infants or small children. What can you tell them about it? Who was there? What church? How was it done (a little water sprinkled, a good amount poured, were they immersed in the font itself?)  Did they put up a fuss or sleep through it? What was the weather like? Who are their godparents? You can help them learn the story of how they came to be a Christian.

And you can also help them learn a little about what happens at baptism. Think about the four main symbols: water, oil, light, white garment.
Water: If you talk with your child about each of these in turn, we might discover that water refreshes, cleanses, and helps things grow. Baptism gives us new life and washes away our sin. (As adults we also speak of the 'water of new birth' that make us a new creation in Christ).
Oil: If you think about oil as lotion, suntan lotion protects us from the sun, body lotion soothes rough skin, but even cooking oil protects the pan, keeps things from sticking and burning! The oil we use at baptism (and confirmation, and ordinations) is a special one, called Chrism. It smells really nice- when the Bishop blesses it during Holy Week, he adds a perfume called balsam to the olive oil. This Chrism sinks into our skin, leaving a mark that you really can't wash off: for your whole life, you are a Christian! And while God loves and protects every person, baptized or not, in a special way, we are given strength to resist sin through this anointing.
Light: When the power goes out, it can be hard to walk around your house without stubbing your toe! Light can guide us, helps us to see. A flame has energy and power. A candle is lit from the big Paschal (Easter) Candle (which represents Christ, the Light of the World. A new one is blessed every year at the Easter Vigil.) as a reminder that the child is enlightened by Christ, and is to keep the flame or faith alive in their hearts.
White garment: When they go out to play, are their clothes typically white (or do they stay that way for long?!)? White shows us that something is clean and spotless, and sometimes reserved for special occasions. Listen to the prayer at baptism: See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.  What does it mean to have dignity? How does a person with dignity (not uppity, not snooty, but dignified!) act?

Talking about those symbols, and watching for them together during the service, is a good way to start understanding a bit about what baptism means. But symbols by their nature have so many meanings- they take a lifetime (or more) to understand!