EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS IN EVERYDAY ORDINARY TIME..........

For 5 Sundays and a total of 38 days between the end of the Christmas Season and the beginning of the Season of Lent, as Catholic-Christians we celebrate, "Ordinary Time". I have never particularly liked the sound of that title for what is the longest period of time in the entire Liturgical Year. Ordinary Time accounts for 34 weeks of the 52 weeks of the Church Year. So as a first year seminarian in 1982-83, I asked my Liturgy professor, why the Bishops of the Universal Church chose to designate it by that name. His answer was twofold. First, that the word Ordinary, comes from the root word, "Ordinal", meaning Number, and these weeks of the year are numbered in sequential order, 1 to 34. They interrupted after they begin only by Lent and Easter, before resuming until late November. Secondly, more importantly and profoundly my professor said, unless we experience the everyday, ordinary occurrences of life, we cannot fully appreciate the extraordinary events of salvation history celebrated in the high seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and the Solemnities of the Lord, which form the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ's Life, Passion, Death, Resurrection and Glorification. With that definition and understanding, I am much more at home with the designation of this period as Ordinary Time.....This afternoon, the parishioners of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in the Arden Arcade neighborhood in NorthEast Sacramento on the cusp of Carmichael, hosted a wonderful, farewell / thank you reception for me, in recognition of my 3 years and 7 months with them as Parochial Vicar and In Residence. They prepared and brought fabulous food and drink and 200-300 persons attended. It began after their 10:30 am Mass, and I arrived just before 1 pm, after celebrating the 8 am & 11 am Masses at Sacred Heart. A constant stream of parishioners came to my table to greet, thank, and wish me well, and almost to a person- they commented on how good I am looking and the return of color to my face, sparkle in my eyes, and vibrancy in my voice !!!!! My very special Presentation Parish buddy Alex Mauro, was there with his mother, sister, and grandmother. Alex, who as an infant was permanently intellectually disabled by a drunken driver crashing into his family's van, is 19 years old, and in a powerchair. From our first encounter in church at Presentation three and a half years ago, we bonded as Alex responds happily to the deep resonance of my voice. When he is told my name, or hears my voice, he smiles broadly and happily. Getting to know Alex and the Mauro Family, is just one of the treasury of memories being at Presentation has afforded me as so many good persons and ministries from the Helping Hands Ministry, Men's Club, Legion of Mary, Adult Faith Formation, Religious Education, Vacation Bible School, and Presentation School, were of great support and affirmation to my priestly vocation, especially during what were the most harrowing years in my entire life. My grateful thanks to all of them, with a big vote of appreciation to Carl and Rose DiCapo, and all the others who organized today's extraordinary fellowship event on this 2nd Sunday if Ordinary Time, two and a half weeks after my departure from Presentation, and arrival at Sacred Heart Parish, East Sacramento..........
God Bless You And Keep You ! God Make The Lord's Face Shine Upon You And Be Gracious To You !! God Give You Peace !!!,
Fr. Troy David Powers