With the Christmas season over we have entered into Ordinary Time in the Church, which will continue until March 4 when we begin (on March 5) Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent. This beginning of Ordinary Time refers to the “ordinary days” of Jesus’ ministry but it does not mean that we adopt and “ordinariness” to our celebrations—or that we in some way “dumb down” our celebrations. Rather, we highlight how the ordinary ministry and life of Christ has changed our mortal lives—and our eternal destiny—forever.

With the change of liturgical seasons comes a change in our liturgical environment too. The distinctive plants and decorations of Christmas Time should be removed and the white and gold of Christmas replaced with green, which is reminiscent of the evergreens that are the only natural color alive in much of the northern hemisphere. The crèche is gone, the garland and the trees are removed. And while the earth waits for the rejuvenation of spring, our church interior takes a rest too.

In this winter of Ordinary Time there are only two celebrations or feasts in the Church: February 2, 2014 is a Sunday and is the Presentation of the Lord and February 3, the feast of Saint Blaise. On February 2 our parish will bless the candles which the Church will use during the year as a sign and symbol of Christ’s light in our world; on February 3, the feast of Saint Blaise, we bless our throats as Saint Blaise is the patron saint of health for all diseases of the throat. White candles are tied in an X formation with red ribbon in this ritual and are blessed at the Sunday Masses on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

This Ordinary Time gives us a breather from the decorations of Christmas to focus on the mission and ministry of Christ, as we prepare for the starkness of Lent and the coming great jubilation of Easter.