Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: January 13, 2019
The Church’s Christmas “season” formally ends this weekend with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. For the next seven weeks, until Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (March 6 this year), the Church simply counts off the weeks … thus this period of time goes by the name of “Ordinal Time,” or more popularly, “Ordinary Time.” This is an accurate description: we live and work and pray in very nondescript ways over these weeks, celebrating nothing special in particular but constantly mindful that we must grasp Jesus’ offer of salvation day-in and day-out, and not only just on high holy days.
In ordinal time the liturgical color of the season is green, which traditionally symbolizes the virtue of hope. That seems to me to be quite appropriate, for we live each day in hope, wondering how close we’re coming to our eternal destiny. But there’s a more artistic and poetic connection, too. Green is such a common color in nature – the base color of that carpet that covers lawn, field, garden and forest – that in an artistic way it sort-of bespeaks ordinariness. I read somewhere once that the most popular color for children and young people typically is some shade of either red or yellow, because these colors connote excitement and energy. Yet once the fires of youth begin to fade, most people find more “steady” greens and blues to be soothing and reassuring – and that maroons and granite greys begin to appeal even after that. Hmmm. I guess I’m lucky: I’m in a nice, long, personal “green phase,” can still remember my “red period,” but am not exactly ready for grey or maroon quite yet!
The Bible readings proclaimed in church on the ordinal Sundays this year will feature a semicontinuous reading of Luke’s Gospel as its principal focus. Luke’s Gospel (the first part of a two-part work, for he also wrote the Acts of the Apostles), is often characterized as “the Gospel of the Marginalized.” More than the other Gospels, it shows Jesus as having special care and concern for those whom society (and the religious leaders of His day) tends to ignore: women, children, sick and disabled persons, “public” sinners like prostitutes and tax collectors, pagans and those terrorized by the devil, and so forth.
One last thought that dovetails with this: all of the active priests of the diocese are obliged to take part in our annual “continuing education” conference out-of-town from Monday through Thursday this coming week. This year’s overall theme in particular is on “ministry to those suffering from physical, mental and emotional disabilities.” It will be very appropriate in this “year of the Gospel of Luke”!
But honestly I admit that the best part of these days usually is not the “back to school” part, but simply the chance for us priests to get together and enjoy each other’s company. As I’ve said before, priestly work in our day and time has become almost everywhere a “team ministry,” but with lay colleagues and staff members, not clergy. We visit each other too little, and sometimes don’t see each other except at really boring meetings and the occasional funeral! That’s why our shared “formation days” are so important in building both a common vision for ministry and priestly fraternity, for we need both. Thanks for understanding why we’re away. And pray for us as – I hope! – with each other we learn and pray a lot and laugh a little!
Always yours in Christ,
Fr. Paul D. Counce
