2025/07/06 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

- Scott Kumer, Associate Director of Liturgy & Music

Welcome to the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Wait!  What?  How did we get here?  We’ve been through Lent, Holy Week, the Easter Season, Pentecost…  What exactly is “Ordinary Time?”

A statement on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reads as follows:

The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time…take us through the life of Christ.  This is the time of conversion.  This is living the life of Christ.  Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ.  The goal, toward which all of history is directed, is represented by the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. 

Over the course of a liturgical year, Ordinary Time breaks into two parts: a shorter period from the Monday after the Baptism of the Lord until Lent; and a longer period from the Monday after Pentecost until Advent.  So while we’ve actually been in Ordinary Time for a few weeks already, it perhaps hasn’t seemed like it because the Solemnities on the Sundays after Pentecost (Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, and Saints Peter & Paul) took precedence.  During Lent we saw lots of liturgical violet.  And from Holy Week to present lots of red, white, and gold.  But no green on Sundays.  Not since March 2nd – until now!  Green is the color of Ordinary Time, and is symbolic of growth, hope, life (e.g. the verdant natural world), and the ongoing mission of the Church.

During Ordinary Time we are challenged to grow and mature spiritually, and to grow the Kingdom of God.  The Gospel passage from Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20 sheds light on this in practical ways: the need for more laborers to reap the abundant [spiritual] harvest; a shared commitment to undertake the divine work at hand represented by the 72 appointees in addition to the 12 apostles; our dependence on God – not on our possessions or our money – to provide for us along the way; and the clear statement that not everyone is going to like or embrace the message of the Kingdom (= reality check).

This Gospel passage from Luke is also a treasure trove of unforgettable, pithy quotations:

            “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”

            “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.”

            “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

            “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

            “Shake the dust off your feet.” (paraphrase)

            “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

To these quotations, very cheekily I would like to add one more in the spirit of being immersed in Ordinary Time: “It’s not easy bein’ green.”  (Fun hint: check out the song lyrics.)  During summertime, there is a natural tendency – even an expectation – to kick back and relax.  And truthfully, summer can be a perfect and much-needed season to slow down, take a break professionally / emotionally / psychologically, and rejuvenate.  But spiritually, the hard work and steady discipline required for growth must continue.  The good news?  If we plan carefully, these two seemingly contradictory things can be beautifully and holistically interwoven.  So this summer, let’s consider making fuller, wiser use of the time and opportunities that we may be afforded, especially here at Saint Clement.  It will all go by in a flash!

On this first weekend in July, I wish you a great summer ahead and an abundant spiritual harvest!