Ordinary Time 1

The season follows the Christmas Season with the Sunday honoring the Baptism of the Lord and continues until Ash Wednesday.

Ordinary Time 2

This season resumes with the Sunday following Pentecost and continues through Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday before the Advent Season.



Since Old Testament times, the Sabbath has been observed as a day of rest.

"[The Sabbath] is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day God rested." [Exodus 31:17]

Today, Jews celebrate the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Christians celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday. The weekly day of prayer for Muslims is Friday.

Now is a good time for us to reconnect with the concept of a restful Sunday. Pope John Paul II emphasized the sacredness of Sundays in his 1998 letter, The Day of the Lord. "Its religious sense certainly does not conflict with human values, which make Sunday a time of rest, of enjoyment of nature and of more social relations." He refers to the Sabbath as a "day of delight."

Family Activity

	Find a time for your own family to celebrate the Sabbath! Share a family meal together, pray together, participate in an outside activity together, or whatever works for your own unique family situation. Continue this restful family time together on a regular basis so that it becomes a comfortable habit. Enjoy each other!

	•		FAMILY MEALS. Aim for at least a few dinners each week where all family members gather and during which telephones, pagers, and television are off limits. Concentrate on each other. Catch up on what’s happening in each other’s lives. Try to select one night a week in particular for this family ritual. In this way, all family members will know they are to protect that mealtime from any and all intrusions.
	•		BAPTISM ANNIVERSARIES. Create a ritual out of celebrating the anniversary of each other’s baptism. Bring out photo albums, renew your baptismal vows, and celebrate each other’s entry into God’s church family. Recall that God knows us by name, the name our parents gave us as we were christened. Perhaps integrate this into a family mealtime.
	•		RECREATION. As a parent, be certain to carve out time to recreate yourself. You have awesome responsibilities and you struggle to keep it all together. Whatever you can do for rest and recreation, do – for your sake and that of your family. Overall, as Americans, we tend to be too busy to take care of ourselves body and soul. Be still and rest in the Lord!

See the Liturgical Calendar on this site for additional information.
See also Catechist—Lent or Teacher—Lent for Liturgy.