Announcing The Liturgical Home: Ordinary Time
Anglican Compass is proud to announce the publication of Ashley Tumlin Wallace’s latest book, The Liturgical Home: Ordinary Time. In it, she continues her series of books and articles walking us through what it looks like to live out the seasons of the Church Year as a family. Check it out now exclusively on Amazon. Here we present an adapted excerpt from the book.
What is Ordinary Time?
As we step into the season of Ordinary Time, often called the Season after Pentecost or Trinitytide, it is important to remember that there is nothing “ordinary” about it. This season, which follows the great feasts of Easter, is not a time of lesser importance but rather a time of deepening, an invitation to live out the mysteries we have just celebrated. The liturgical calendar is not simply a cycle of remembrance, but a path of formation, shaping us into a people who carry Christ’s presence into the world. Ordinary Time, then, is the season in which we learn to walk as disciples, growing in faith, hope, and love.
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It is also the longest season of the Church year, taking up three-quarters of the liturgical year. The word “ordinary” does not mean common or unimportant; rather, it comes from the Latin ordinalis, meaning ordered or numbered time, a season marked by the steady unfolding of Christ’s teachings in our daily lives.
Throughout salvation history, God has not only revealed himself in extraordinary moments but also in the steady rhythm of daily life. From the Israelites wandering in the wilderness to the early Church learning to follow Christ in their communities, the people of God have always been called to faithfulness in the midst of the ordinary. This is the invitation of Ordinary Time: to cultivate holiness in our daily routines, to recognize the presence of God in the seemingly mundane, and to continue growing in our spiritual journey.
A Season of Life and Growth
The color green, a symbol of life and growth, marks this season. Just as the natural world flourishes in the sunlight, Ordinary Time is a season for us to flourish in the light of Christ. It is a time for discipleship, a time to be nourished by the Word of God and the sacraments, a time to allow the seeds of faith to take deep root in our souls. During the great feasts of Christmas and Easter, we rejoice in Christ’s coming and his victory over death. But in Ordinary Time, we are invited to ask: What does it mean to live as those who belong to him?
The Gospels proclaimed throughout Ordinary Time center on the life and ministry of Jesus, the way he taught, healed, forgave, and called people to himself. We hear his parables, his miracles, his conversations with the disciples, and his commands to love, serve, and follow him. Through these stories, we are drawn into his way of life. Just as the first disciples walked with Christ, we, too, are called to walk with him in our daily lives, to take up our cross, and to be transformed into his likeness.
A Season of Rest in God
St. Augustine reminds us:
You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.
Augustine, Confessions
Ordinary Time is the season where we learn to find our rest in God, not just in the great moments of celebration, but in the quiet, consistent faithfulness of daily life. It is in this time that we are formed, strengthened, and prepared to bear fruit in due season.
Yet, in the modern world, this season goes unnoticed. We move from celebration to celebration, feast to feast, but struggle to embrace the steady, patient work of discipleship. However, the Church in her wisdom gives us this time, not as a pause, but as a gift. In a culture that craves constant excitement, Ordinary Time calls us to something deeper: a life rooted in Christ, where even the smallest acts of faithfulness become an offering to God.
Committing to Grow
Let us, then, reclaim the beauty of Ordinary Time. Let us commit ourselves to growing in the faith, to deepening our prayer lives, and to recognizing the presence of Christ in our homes, workplaces, and communities. As we journey through this season, may we remember that every moment is an opportunity to draw near to him, to love as he loves, and to live as his people in the world.
And so, with Christians throughout the ages, we pray:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Psalm 103:1
For even in the ordinary, we find the extraordinary presence of God.
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