A Beacon Of Light . . . Ordinary Time Is Extraordinary
By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.)
- + + With the Easter Season behind us, the Church enters once again into the season we call Ordinary Time. Even though we call it Ordinary Time, our journey through the Church’s Liturgical Calendar is far from being ordinary. Having celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the “new” Church is brought to full birth. By the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, disciples, and ultimately all of us, we are sent out into the world as proclaimers of Jesus Christ. This also symbolizes the way Christ, Himself, was sent out to begin His public ministry. Remember it was Christ’s Baptism in the River Jordan where the Holy Spirit descended hovering above as the voice of the Father was heard saying: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him” (Luke 9:35).
Often the thought of being called to discipleship causes one to have a sense of unworthiness and fear. How can I be a disciple of Christ if I don’t feel worthy? Despite our unworthiness, we are all capable of the discipleship Christ calls us to.
In the first few weeks of Ordinary Time, we are invited to participate in some substantial celebrations of our faith. These celebrations include: the Solemnities of the Most Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi (also known as the Body and Blood of Christ), and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Each of these solemnities invites us, in unique ways, to deepen our relationship with the Lord. These celebrations can be seen as the finale, if you will, to the preceding celebrations of Christmas and Easter. By celebrating these important moments in the life of the Church’s Liturgical Year we enter more deeply into our faith and are reminded that we are never alone. Each of these celebrations has a unique place in the lives of the children of God.
On the Sunday following Pentecost, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This day calls to mind the immensity of God! It celebrates the fullness of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! The dogma of faith which forms the feast is this:
“There is one God and in this one God there are three Divine Persons; the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but one, eternal, incomprehensible God! The Father is not more God than the Son, neither is the Son more God than the Holy Spirit. The Father is the first Divine Person; the Son is the second Divine Person, begotten from the nature of the Father from eternity; the Holy Spirit is the third Divine Person, proceeding from the Father and the Son. No mortal can fully fathom this sublime truth. But I submit humbly and say: Lord, I believe, help my weak faith” (Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch).
The day of our Baptism is significant because it is united in a unique way to the Baptism of Jesus. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, we were introduced to the Blessed Trinity. As Jesus comes out of the water, we hear the voice of the Father spoken from Heaven, we see Jesus the Second Person of the Trinity standing visibly before us, and we see the Holy Spirit in the visible sign of a dove descending from the heavens. At that moment, the waters of all the Baptisms were linked to the Baptism of Christ. On the day of our Baptism, our very person is emblazoned, and we meet the Blessed Trinity in a very real way. This is proclaimed by the sacramental form of the Rite of Baptism when the priest (or deacon) says: I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Imagine, the entirety of God touches us and we become members of His divine family. More importantly, we become heirs to the heavenly kingdom where Jesus ascended. By His Ascension, our very place in Heaven is readied for us.
The celebration of the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity is always in our thoughts and minds. We invoke the Blessed Trinity on a daily basis. Whenever we make the Sign of the Cross, we are reminding ourselves of the first time we encountered the Triune God in Baptism. As we enter a Catholic church, we bless ourselves with holy water recalling our Baptism. When we pray the Glory Be, we are remembering the Trinity.
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, of the Body and Blood of Christ, takes place on the Sunday that follows Trinity Sunday. On this Sunday we pay honor to the special relationship we have with our Eucharistic Lord. This relationship is begun in Baptism. On the day of our Baptism, we receive the foundation of our faith. This foundation is found in the threefold gift of the theological virtues which ready us for the journey of faith ahead. On the day of our Baptism, Jesus begins building a house in our hearts where He will one day reside.
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is the day when we remember the day Jesus moved into the house of our hearts. This celebration of Jesus’ Body and Blood is an opportunity to reflect on the day of our First Holy Communion. The day of our First Holy Communion was the day Jesus took possession of the house built by the Father and moves in. I use this analogy often when celebrating First Communion. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, or the Body and Blood of Christ, enables us to reminisce about that special day in our lives.
Unconditional Love
The Friday following the Solemnity of Corpus Christi is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On this Friday, like Good Friday, we celebrate the unconditional love of Jesus who shed His Blood out of love for us. This day recalls the virtue of love to which we are united in Baptism. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus has found its way into the hearts of many. I remember, from childhood, that my maternal grandmother had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart. She had a beautiful image of the Sacred Heart hanging over her bedroom dresser. Every night she would stand before the image and pray the traditional prayer to the Sacred Heart:
“O Most Holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee, and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure, and wholly obedient to Thy will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in Thee and for Thee. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, thy blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Within Thy Heart I place my every care. In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust saying, ‘Heart of Jesus help me.’ Amen.”
When my grandmother died, she left me this image because she was convinced I would one day become a priest. Since my childhood, I have strived to imitate the love of the Sacred Heart in my daily life.
The Church cares for us with a mother’s love as she guides us to the heavenly Kingdom. With her motherly love, the Church gently reminds us of important moments in our lives of faith. The solemn celebrations that follow the Easter Season, are meant to remind us of the importance of our relationship with the Lord.
This is accomplished in a threefold way. First, the Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity recalls the moment we were introduced to God. This happened in Baptism. Second, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi reminds us of the honor and reverence that is due to the Eucharist. It reminds us of the innocence we had in receiving Jesus for the first time. Third, and I think most importantly, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us of the unconditional love God has for us all. The unconditional love of God is seen in the redemptive love for us as a fallen creation. This is visibly seen in the sacrificial action of Christ’s death on the cross and in the pouring out of blood and water as seen in the piercing of His most Sacred Heart.
As we approach these coming festivities, may our hearts be open to the powerful signs of God’s unconditional love for us all. May the sanctity of these celebrations dispel any ounce of doubt one may have in their heart. Does God love us? Oh yes! And He shows us that love every day!
