We are back in the swing of the liturgical season oddly called ‘Ordinary Time’, which is anything but ordinary. The beginning of the liturgical year last December (Advent Season and the beautiful Christmas season) which have just ended is, however, pretty much up in the air. Nevertheless, we have transitioned smoothly from Christmas to ‘Ordinary Time’ and are still enjoying the freshness of the ‘new’ liturgical year. This year, we follow Cycle C, and the Gospel passages are from Luke.
Two Elements
Liturgical celebrations benefit mainly from two elements: the biblical texts given at the table of the word of God during the first part of the Mass, and the sacramental Body of Christ with which we are nourished at the table of the Eucharist, that is the second part of the Mass. But the liturgical world brings to us another important element: the remembrance of the saints (memorials, commemorations, feasts and solemnities). So far, during the month of January, we have celebrated many saints. Mary, Mother of God, in the first place to start the civil calendar; Saints Gregory Nazianzen and Basil the ‘Great’, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton (the first American canonized saint); Saint Anthony Abbot, Saint Agnes virgin (and martyr at only 12 years of age), Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Paul the Apostle, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint John Bosco (still to be celebrated on January 31). These are just those who “made it to the liturgical calendar” but a quick peak at the Roman Martyrology will show a great display of holiness within the long list of these egregious sons and daughters of Mother Church.
Walk Among the Saints
Thus, from the life of the Church in her celebrations, we can say that we walk or live among giants, called ‘great’ sometimes or not; some of them were ordinary people, but all of them stand tall in one thing: their love of God. The reason for their “success” is that they listened, and then they acted according to the message which they embraced in their minds and hearts. Today’s Gospel ends with these words: “… those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold” (Mk 4: 20). Among all the faithful people inspired by the divine words are the saints, those giants that the Church sets as an example for us to follow and imitate.
God bless you all,
Fr. Marcelo Javier Navarro Muñoz, IVE
Author: The Contribution of Cornelio Fabro to Fundamental Theology. Reason and Faith, Cambridge Scholars Publishing: https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-9315-2
Poesía Sacra, Quemar las Naves, and Desde Fossanova, IVE Press: https://ivepress.org/
