January 14, 2024
Between January 9 and February 14 is a little over a month of Ordinary Time. The large block of Ordinary Time is celebrated between Pentecost and Advent – months of ‘ordinary celebrations’ over the Summer. For that long stretch, the color of green, at least for those in the Northern Hemisphere, seems appropriate, for it is during this time that the plants are in full foliage and growth abounds. However, during this shorter span of Ordinary Time, green seems a bit contrary to what we see when we look out the window. All is bare, and there is little growth to speak of in the cold midst of winter. For a while, brown seemed to be gaining popularity as the go-to color of vestments for this short season. Thankfully, that never caught on, and was never officially recognized. Green remains the color of Ordinary Time, whether it is the start of February or the middle of July. This color is meant to remind us of healthy growth in our spiritual lives throughout the year. We spend over half the liturgical year in Ordinary Time. This time spent must have something to teach us about how our faith is maintained throughout the year – ordinary acts of holiness. The family is often and appropriately referred to as the domestic church. In Saint John Paul II’s letter, Gratissimam Sane, announcing the Holy Year of the Family in 1994, he speaks directly to families promoting the vocational call to holiness of all the baptized. I hope you will take some time to read that letter and then incorporate it into your heart and home. There are unmistakable connections between the ’94 Year of the Family and Pope Francis’ ’21 Year of Saint Joseph. Sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, we are being challenged to live our faith – not just on Sunday mornings but year-round. When it feels like spiritual growth is not possible, it is then that God is most at work on our hearts.
Beyond the two letters marking the beginning of these holy years almost 30 years apart, what might one do to promote this kind of ‘Ordinary Holiness’ in our homes? As you may have guessed, I have a few thoughts, but before I get to that, I want to say that this is not some Catholic litmus test to gauge how Catholic a family is. Suppose you have other practices that invite faith and prayer into your home. In that case, that is wonderful, and I certainly encourage those traditions that have developed. If nothing else, I hope that these suggestions spark a conversation and a desire to promote the faith more authentically in the home. If you and your family are not used to praying together, it will feel awkward at first. Still, I assure you that once you let go of preconceived ideas of the type of people who pray together as a family, you will grow in God’s grace.
· Pray before meals – add personal intentions from those who would like to share their day
· Prayer after meals – yes, that is a thing, and it can help to solidify the family’s time together around the table in the same way that it does around the altar at Mass
· Prayer before bed – with children and as husband and wife – look to the bed as a natural place to kneel in prayer to help relieve anxiety and sacramentalize your day
· Daily family Rosary – perhaps start on Sundays to keep holy the Lord’s Day
· Read the Bible together – ask the children to read to help them become more comfortable with entering Sacred Scripture.
· Use your baptismal candles – those candles you get at a child’s baptism, they are not meant to just tuck away as keepsakes; use them for prayer. Light them on birthdays, anniversaries of Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, patronal saint’s days, dare I say it – to memorialize a day you have discerned to mark the conception of your children – crazy, I know, but that is the day they came into being – celebrate!
· List out these special days – this liturgical calendar for the family can help remind us that our days take on a sacred rhythm much like the Universal Church’s liturgical calendar.
· Ask for new baptismal candles – if you are burning baptism candles that often they will run out, that’s great! You can always ask for another at church or, if you like to purchase candles of your own, simply ask for them to be blessed, and there you have it – a new baptismal candle!
· Build a prayer space – a shrine of sorts, where holy things are kept. This may act as a constant visible reminder of our individual call to holiness.
Two Parishes, One Heart
Fr. Adam