St. Joseph Catholic Church - Neptune at 28172 Nature Avenue, Hinton, IA 51024-8553 US - ORDINARY TIME
| ORDINARY TIME |
Ordinary Time lacks the seasonal focus that other periods (Lent, Easter, Advent, and Christmas) of the Church year have and gains its name from keeping of the Sundays/weeks via ordinal numerals. Each year there are two periods of unequal length based entirely on the seasonal cycles of Christmas and Easter. The first period of Ordinary Time begins as Christmas closes (Baptism of the Lord) and ends as Lent begins. We resume Ordinary Time after the Easter season (Pentecost) and continue until the hour Advent begins. SECOND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME introduces us to some simpler church decorations and green vesture. We hear from the Gospel of St. John the occasion when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to two of his disciples. These two men would become two of Jesus’ first disciples. Disciples and Apostles “Come after me,” said Jesus, “and I will make you fishers of people.” Those are two functions: two sides of the same coin. Following the path of a master is the work of a disciple, student or apprentice. Going fishing for people, however, is the work of a person sent in the name of another. The Twelve were fishers of people for Christ Jesus. Are not we also both disciples and apostles for Christ Jesus? Yes. In his name we proclaim the Gospel of God: The time is now; God’s reign is breaking in! We proclaim that good news in word and deed to all, because we love them. CANDLEMAS/THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD is an annual feast day that always fall on February 2. This year it also falls on Sunday. Each year on this day we bless the candles that will be used in our liturgical celebrations for the rest of the year (except for the Paschal Candle that is blessed at the Easter Vigil). Light of Glory Forty days after Christmas already! Jesus is presented by Joseph and Mary at the temple to fulfill the law of Moses—to do what is right. They are greeted by the old man Simeon who sees the “light of the gentiles come,” and the aged widow Anna who speaks of the “deliverance of Jerusalem.” Again, even in God’s temple Jesus is presented and accepted as God saving both Jews and gentiles. We come in procession on this Candelmas Day with specially blessed candles and lights to meet Jesus, the light of glory, on whom we are nourished in the Eucharist. Are you transparent enough for God’s glory to shine through you? Evangelization “Let us go to nearby towns to preach there,” said Jesus. How spontaneously he evangelized! Of course, Jesus did not find evangelization easy when it meant carrying the cross and then dying on it. His passover to third-day glory, however, gave cruel crucifixion new significance. Risen life gives direction to all growth. Whether we call our lack of growth “sin,” “demon,” “disease” or “death,” Jesus shows us how to pass through it to newness. How well he preaches the good news in our town! -- Disease And Sin The begging leper and the paralytic dropped in, and both wanted to be cured of their ailments—including their sin. Overcoming religious fears and social customs, they made their requests. Jesus replied, “Yes, of course,” and then made the point that healing from sin and healing from disease are two sides of the same coin. Do we have courage enough to overcome worries and beg healing from the Lord in the church? If we seek sacramental reconciliation, Jesus will surely reply, “Yes, of course.” -- Pilgrim Travelers “Do not deal unfairly,” says the Lord. Christians are called to conduct their affairs fairly. If they do so, they will dwell securely in the land, according to the Lord. All creation belongs to God, and humans are pilgrims traveling through on their way home in God’s heavenly reign. Here is not a lasting city. As a body of passersby, Christians set their sight on the glory of Christ’s risen body. In Christ, members love God above all and their neighbors as themselves. With such love, how could one not deal fairly? -- Wedding Feast The Lord God always approaches people with trust, as the bridegroom approaches the bride. God waits for us to come forward in the same free, open way. With God there’s no room for timidity or legalism. We can come filled with comfort and joy, for in the Lord everything is new. The Spirit of God gives us new life. All at once everything becomes possible. At God’s wedding feast with family, friends and neighbors, we can have anything we want if only we ask, “Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses.” Amen!