This past Sunday, we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord, which brings the Christmas season and its joyful focus on the Incarnation of God’s only begotten Son to a close.
Monday, Jan. 10, began this liturgical year’s Ordinary Time, when the focus is not on a particular aspect of the paschal mystery but on the fullness of the mystery of Christ.
Our popular usage of the word “ordinary,” meaning average, below average or not special, should not be confused with the Church’s usage. Ordinary Time is the usual or customary way that we order our lives around the Lord’s Day, encountering Christ in the sacraments, growing in holiness and living out the faith. That way is exciting, strewn with new challenges, fresh invitations and surprising opportunities for intimacy with God.
Even in the midst of January in Ohio, the weekly rhythm of marking time by the Lord’s Day helps us live the paschal mystery in the giving, dying and rising that we experience in the course of the week. Where might we find in the next few weeks the Lord’s new challenges for us, His fresh invitations and the opportunities for greater intimacy with Him?
This month, the universal Church celebrates the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from Jan. 18-25. It is an opportunity for Christians from many traditions throughout the world to gather and pray for the unity of all of the baptized.
Each year has a theme, and this year’s comes from the account in Matthew of the visit of the Magi to honor Christ, the newborn king: “We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him.” The Magi are an image of the unity of all nations desired by God.
Christians, like the Magi, are drawn by the light of Christ to search for Him and to give Him homage. On Sunday evening, Jan. 23, the Diocese of Columbus will host an Ecumenical Prayer Service at St. Joseph Cathedral. The service will begin at 6:30.
This local celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity builds on the efforts of Bishop Robert Brennan and Columbus religious leaders Bishop Timothy Clarke of the First Church of God, Pastor Rich Nathan of the Vineyard and others seeking to bring the moral voice of Christian religious leaders to bear on racism and other local challenges.
In a special way, we seek greater unity with the Eastern Christian churches in our witness to the world. All Christians who wish to join in honoring Christ as the light of the world are invited. Consider joining in this gathering to pray for unity in Christ.
Also this month, we pray and fast for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life on Jan. 22, the anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision. To accommodate groups traveling to the National Prayer Vigil for Life and the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20-21, the Diocese of Columbus will hold a Respect Life Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral on Jan. 24, the feast of the diocesan patron, St. Francis DeSales.
After the Mass, many will join the Roe Remembrance hosted by Greater Columbus Right to Life in the Ohio Statehouse Atrium. Registration is required to participate. Pre-register online at www.gcrtl.org/roe.
Please give witness to the gift and sanctity of human life. Happy Ordinary Time!