Ordinary vs. Extraordinary
Lately I've been feeling kind of blah, not inspired - ordinary. Ordinary kind of sounds a little boring. Even the definition of ordinary is "no special or distinctive features, normal." Referring to Ordinary Time in the Church is not very flashy either. No purple or white vestments, no big feast days, no dramatic Scripture moments, just green, normal. But over time, I’ve come to realize that maybe that’s exactly what God wants for us: to find Him not only in the big moments of faith but in the everyday rhythm of life. Ordinary Time is really about learning to live faithfully when life feels routine or even a little dull.
The Church calendar is like a heartbeat for our spiritual lives. We have Advent to prepare, Christmas to celebrate, Lent to repent, and Easter to rejoice. Then there’s Ordinary Time, which makes up most of the year. It’s the in-between: dishes and deadlines, school drop-offs and grocery runs. It’s when the excitement of one season fades, and we settle into the quiet of daily life. Yet that quiet is where God often does His best work, which is maybe why I take it for granted.
The green on the altar isn’t filler; it’s the color of life and growth. Ordinary Time is when our faith grows deep roots, quietly and slowly. Most of our lives are lived in this space. We’re not always climbing spiritual mountains or feeling inspired in prayer. Some days it’s just, “Lord, I’m tired. Help me do the next right thing.” And that’s enough.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” built her entire spiritual life on small, hidden acts of love. She called it the little way, and it’s exactly what Ordinary Time invites us into. Faith isn’t proven on feast days. It’s proven on Tuesdays and making it through a week that seemed never ending. It’s proven when you show up for someone who needs you even if you have many other things to do, when you pray even though you don’t feel like it, when you forgive again and again, or when you cook dinner and fold laundry with love in your heart. These small acts might not seem extraordinary, but they’re the very things that make us holy.
Jesus spent most of His life in what we’d call “ordinary time.” Before He preached or performed miracles, He lived quietly in Nazareth working, praying, and loving His family. God chose to spend most of His earthly life in the ordinary, and that tells me those years mattered just as much as the dramatic ones. His hidden life teaches us that holiness doesn’t always shout; sometimes it simply shows up.
So maybe the challenge for us this week is to stop seeing the ordinary as “less than.” Maybe it’s where God is growing us most. When you wash the dishes, whisper a prayer of gratitude. When you are frustrated with your spouse or children for leaving their socks or book bags in the way, be grateful. When you’re stuck in traffic, pray for the person next to you. When you feel unseen, remember that God notices every hidden act of love. If we offer Him the ordinary, He’ll make it extraordinary.
My prayer this week is simple: “Lord, help me find You not just in church or in crisis, but in the middle of my day, in the laundry, in the laughter, and even in the quiet.” Because that’s where most of life and most of holiness really happens.
