Ordinary Time is the longest liturgical season, yet it is often overlooked and underappreciated. It does not carry the same anticipation of Advent, nor does it have the intensity of Lent. During this season, the Church returns to green, which is almost a neutral color, and life settles into a more repetitive, ordinary rhythm. Ordinary Time is not a pause in our spiritual life; it is where that life is actually lived and transformed.
The word “ordinary” comes from the Latin ordinalis, which means numbered or ordered. This season is structured time, ordered toward growth. Week after week, the Church guides us through the public life and teachings of Christ in deliberate, liturgical formation.
While it is easy to “feel” holy during Holy Week, it is more difficult when nothing special seems to be happening. But that is exactly when faith gets tested and strengthened. Because when the intensity fades, we are left with a choice: Will we continue to follow Christ without the emotional momentum? This is where theology meets real life.
Choosing Faith When You Feel Nothing
The Catholic Church teaches that the spiritual life is not built on passing feelings, but on infused virtue—gifts given by God at Baptism, strengthened through the Sacraments, and lived out through cooperation with grace. Faith, hope, and charity are theological virtues, not emotions. They anchor the soul in God Himself, not in our fluctuating experience of Him. This means our faith is still active even when we feel nothing “exciting.” It means grace is at work even when it feels hidden.
As Hebrews 11:1 reminds us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Yes, faith operates precisely in the absence of clarity. It is a participation in God’s knowledge.
Jesus Himself reveals the importance of this kind of perseverance: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). Endurance through faith is the daily decision to stay rooted in Christ, even when nothing feels remarkable. Ordinary Time invites us into this reality.
Encountering God in the Everyday
I have come to love Ordinary Time. It reminds me that God is not confined to extraordinary or explicitly religious moments. He is present in emails, errands, dishes, and commutes. God is not waiting until Advent to meet me—He’s in the middle of a random Tuesday morning. And if He is there, then that moment is charged with grace.
Through the mystery of the Incarnation, Jesus sanctified ordinary existence. All of human life—work, rest, relationships—has been touched by His presence, because He entered into it Himself. So, everything can become part of His divine life. This is the heart of what the Church teaches about sanctification: Grace does not remove us from ordinary life; it transforms it from the inside out.
Jesus describes it like this: “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how” (Mark 4:26-27). The growth of grace in the soul is real but is often hidden. It unfolds over time, through consistency.
Building Stability Through Sacramental Life
So what does faithful cooperation with grace look like?
It looks like stability: I light my candle before I pray. I show up to Mass. I take out my Rosary, and pray the same short prayers again and again.
The Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, are central in this season. Every time we receive Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, charity strengthens in our souls, our relationship with Him deepens, and we are more closely conformed to His Sacred Heart. The same is true of Confession, which restores our communion with God, providing forgiveness of our sins and sanctifying grace that sustains us, whether we feel it or not.
Growing in Fidelity Through Routine
Now, when I see the green vestments or open my missal to another “ordinary” Sunday, I do not feel bored. Rather, I feel alive. Because I understand something I did not before: Holiness is cultivated during Ordinary Time. Ultimately, Ordinary Time teaches us that spiritual growth is about patient persistence and the powerful work of grace over time. It forms in us the capacity for fidelity—to stay in communion with God without needing extraordinary signs.
Ordinary Time is not a filler season but a season of formation, where the soul learns to live a theological reality: God is always present, always working, and always offering His children grace. Our role is simply to cooperate with what He is already doing. In Ordinary Time, we are called to something deeper, to be transformed.
God is present in every moment as the One actively sustaining and sanctifying life. And when we live with this awareness, Ordinary Time becomes anything but ordinary. It becomes the place where we are being made holy.
So, if today feels quiet, do not dismiss it. This is where your faith is being strengthened by the Holy Spirit. This is where grace is at work. And this is precisely where God meets you exactly as you are.
Victoria Cardona is a theology graduate of Ave Maria University and is currently completing a Master’s in Educational Leadership at St. Thomas University. She is beginning a new role as a middle school religion teacher in Catholic education, and has contributed to publications including Catholic Exchange, Caeli, and The Star of Bethlehem. She has a special devotion to the Divine Mercy and believes the best conversations happen in coffee shops, and can often be found thrift-shopping for grandmother-core pieces and hidden gems.
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