Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/445772
:LQWHU²ZZZQFVIFRP 29 From Ordinary Time to the Season of Lent Lenten service through NCSF programs As Lent approaches, our efforts should be toward charity and service (not just giving up candy). We are very fortunate as members of NCSF because we have society-sponsored programs to encourage us in going "outward to other people" with acts of service and love. How about planning a Hearts and Hands project during Lent as an act of loving service for some local need? Maybe local members could sponsor a food drive to encourage folks to help re-stock a food pantry. Junior members could be involved in service projects through the parish or the school. Whether it is during Ordinary Time or the penitential season of Lent, our acts of kindness help us grow closer to Jesus. And, when we are closer to Jesus, our world is a better place. During these weeks after Epiphany, and before we get into the season of Lent, the church year is in Ordinary Time. While the word "ordinary" in popular usage describes things that are nondescript or dull, ordinary in this case means customary, regular, and orderly. Ordinary Time may also be called Ordinal Time – the numbered, counted time outside of the other liturgical seasons. There are two periods of Ordinary Time during the church year, and the current season lasts until Shrove Tuesday. Scripture readings during this portion of Ordinary Time focus on the childhood of Jesus and then on the public ministry of Christ. The liturgical color of Ordinary Time is green; however, white or red are worn on particular feast days. Once we get to Ash Wednesday, our liturgical season changes to the penitential 40 days of Lent, and the priest's vestments change to purple. Timothy Cardinal Dolan has said, "A good Lent has three things: prayer, penance; and charity." He went on to say: "The last one is so important, going outward to other people. The fruits of our prayers and the fruits of our penance [are] that we share in acts of service, love, forgiveness and reconciliation, goodness and charity to the poor." Hearts and Hands