We have just begun Ordinary Time. I am quite sure that most readers are familiar with the concept of a “Liturgical Calendar.” We have ordinary time, Advent, Lent and a myriad of festival times (ie. Easter, Christmas, feast days and “solemnities”—which is just a fancy name for a really significant feast day. Why is this the way we operate as Catholics? Well, I’m glad you asked the question. I love to celebrate. I love having family and friends gather. I love to eat the delicious, special food that appears at big family celebrations. I love the lights at Christmas and the chocolate at Easter, but honestly we can’t always feast. As much as we love those special times, they are not how we typically live. I love my family and hate to see the holidays end and folks return to ordinary life, or Ordinary Time, but I just can’t “holiday eat” all year round. I would be very unhealthy. We have been in a time of feasting and that has been great. Now it is time for us to return to the ordinary, the mundane reality of our daily life. This is not a bad thing, though, it is precisely during the ordinary days that we do most of our living. It is pretty easy to be a disciple during times of celebration and levity. It is quite another thing to follow Jesus through fasting and being persecuted. It is precisely in the times of difficulty and struggle that we grow the most. It is true that there are often growing pains, but those pains we endure are the fuel for our growth. May God bless you over the (still) New Year. May you find growth in faith, hope and love! This season of Ordinary Time is a rich soil for growing. Have a great Ordinary Time. — Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected]. For more information concerning the events of this office, visit us at mobilefaithformation.org