If Christmas and Easter celebrate major events in the life of Christ—his incarnation and birth, his death and resurrection, Ordinary Time unpacks the teaching, preaching, and miraculous workings of his earthly ministry.
On this first day of Ordinary Time, we hear the first words uttered by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, ““This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
“This is time of fulfillment” he announces. For thirty years, Jesus had lived a hidden life in the house of Nazareth with Mary and Joseph, during which he had learned and practiced the carpenters trade of St. Joseph. The sweat and toil of his labors in the carpenter’s shop foreshadowed, only in a hidden way, the blood he would shed for our salvation. So, during the greater part of his life, Jesus shared the condition of the vast majority of human beings: a daily life spent without evident greatness, a life of manual labor.
And then, following his Baptism, he emerges from those waters, and begins his public ministry with these words, “this is the time of fulfillment.” He was born with a mission, and the time for that mission had come. He had come to fulfill his Heavenly Father’s plan for salvation, a plan begun from the time of the fall of Adam and Eve thousands and thousands of years ago, a plan which had unfolded obscurely in the life of the people of Israel—in the calling of Israel’s patriarchs, through the times of judges, and kings, and prophets, conquest of the holy land and exile, and post-exilic reconstruction.
Through Jesus, God is breaking into history to fulfill his promises and bring his whole plan to completion. It is a decisive moment, a turning point. This moment, fixed and determined long ago by God, marks the beginning of the definitive stage in salvation history.
During Ordinary Time we will hear and ponder the unfolding of this definitive stage 2000 years ago. But as the Father has sent Him, so he sends us. During Ordinary Time, we are to cooperate with grace, conform to his teachings, deepen in virtue, grow in sanctity, have since recourse to prayer, and share with non-believers the truth that we have received, that God’s plan may be fulfilled in us and in our time, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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That the preaching and teachings of the Pope, Bishops, and clergy may be a source of strength and guidance for the Holy Church.
That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.
For those preparing for baptism and to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, that this time of instruction and prayer may be a time of fulfillment of God’s promises in their lives.
For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.
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