DEAR FATHER | Ordinary Time is an encouragement to have faith and trust where God leads us
Ordinary Time sometimes feels ‘blah’ after the Christmas season. How can I shake that feeling?

I have to admit that I’m still guilty of not yet taking down all of my Christmas decorations. I wish I could say that it was out of a spirit of nostalgia for the season, but truthfully, every time I’m about to finish the task something inevitably comes up! That’s OK. I’m only a few weeks behind since the Christmas season didn’t end until the Baptism of the Lord just a few weeks ago. Some die-hards hold out until the feast of the Presentation (Feb. 2), so I can’t be the only one still with some decorations up!
But we shouldn’t think we are concluding one spirited season only to enter the mundane period of Ordinary Time. We are entering into a new chapter in Christ’s life. Think of it as moving through the mysteries of the Rosary; the joyful mysteries are wonderful to pray with, but then come all of the other parts of Christ’s life following His childhood. Ordinary Time is filled with many great Gospel accounts of Jesus’ healing miracles, His teachings through parables and His yelling at the flute players to stop making a commotion in Matthew 9:23 (this detail always makes me laugh).
It can be tempting to want to stay in the comfort of Christmas, but as we know through Jesus’ ministry, He also calls us to cast out into the deep, not to be afraid to have faith and to trust where God is leading us. If we enter into Ordinary Time with a spirit of vulnerability, not only to study the ministry of Jesus but to receive in our hearts each week through His word, then Ordinary Time goes from a season that could mistakenly be perceived as “blah” to a time that is like embarking on an adventure with our Lord. Think about the lives of the apostles following their initial call from Jesus to leave their livelihoods and follow Him! It’s an adventure, but we receive in due measure what we give; the early disciples gave Jesus their whole heart and He returned their gift a hundredfold!
So, as we enter Ordinary Time, what are we willing to give Jesus? And I don’t mean materially but regarding our hearts. Do we seek to enter these weeks of hearing about Jesus’s ministry with hearts that seek to receive what the Lord may be calling us to do in our lives? Am I willing to be that vulnerable? Do I trust that the Lord has my best interest at heart and He desires to call each of us individually?
One suggestion is to make the Rosary a part of your life of faith. I encourage you to trust that our Blessed Mother seeks to bring us closer to the heart of her Son. The mysteries of the Rosary are some of the most powerful, pivotal moments in our faith and can be a great way for us to enter more deeply into the life of Christ during this Ordinary Time.
Father Dan Kavanagh is director of the Catholic Deaf Ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.