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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Not-So-Ordinary Time

Andrew R. Motyka · May 8, 2013

RDINARY TIME GETS ITS NAME not because it is dull or not special, but because it is numbered. Ordinal refers to that which is numbered. Therefore, Ordinary Time is named such because it is simply the time in which we count the weeks. How strange, then, that counting is something that Ordinary Time sometimes does poorly! For example, in a few weeks, we will begin Ordinary Time again, resuming with the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time. But wait, I thought that the last time we experienced Ordinary time was just before Lent, with the 5th Sunday! How does that work out?

First of all, I think it helpful to refer to the Sundays not of Ordinary Time, but in Ordinary Time. It’s a small distinction, but it helps to clarify the concept. Each individual week of Ordinary Time begins with a Sunday, but it is not always named a Sunday of Ordinary Time. For example, the first week begins with the Baptism of the Lord. Remembering this principle, and knowing that Easter Season ends with Pentecost Sunday, we can deduce that the week after Pentecost is the 6th week of Ordinary Time, the week after Trinity is the 7th week of Ordinary Time, and the week after Corpus Christi is the 8th week of Ordinary Time. Therefore, when we resume counting Sundays this year, the week after Corpus Christi (June 9) will be the…um…10th Sunday of Ordinary Time? What gives? I thought this was about counting!

This reminds me of a riddle that my grandfather used to tell me:

Three men check into a hotel. The hotel manager charges them $30, and so, splitting the bill, each man pays $10. After the men go up to their room, the manager realizes he has overcharged them; he only should have charged them $25 for the room. He gives $5 to the bellboy and tells him to go reimburse the men. The dishonest bellboy pockets $2 while he is in the elevator and only reimburses the men $3. Now, each of the men has paid $9 for the room. 9 times 3 equals 27, plus the 2 dollars that the bellboy kept equals 29. Where’s the other dollar?

The answer to this riddle, as well as the Mystery of the Missing Week of Ordinary Time, is that you’re counting it wrong. You are presented with the wrong elements of the financial math in the riddle, just as you are counting the weeks incorrectly in Ordinary Time. Indeed, Ordinary Time did leave off with the 5th Sunday just before Ash Wednesday. However, it doesn’t resume with the 6th Sunday.

The trick here is to remember two things: because Christmas occurs on a different weekday each year, then the Advent and Christmas seasons will be of varying length. The second thing to remember is that the last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Christ the King, is always on the 34th Sunday of Ordinary Time. This year, though, there are only 33, not 34, Sundays in Ordinary Time. How does the Church rectify this? Simply put, she cheats. She simply declares the last Sunday of Ordinary Time to be the 34th, and then counts backwards until she reaches Pentecost. Therefore, the week following Pentecost is the 7th, not the 6th, week in Ordinary Time. There simply skips the 6th week of Ordinary Time altogether this year. You’ve been counting it wrong.

Before you are too scandalized by this (and honestly, who isn’t scandalized by the trivialities of the Liturgical Calendar Year? Lent isn’t even 40 days! Psh!), recall that counting backwards is how we figure out almost everything in the calendar. The beginning of Advent is determined by counting backwards from Christmas, and the beginning of Lent is figured by counting backwards from Easter. Sorry everybody, you were baptized into a weird family. That’s just how we roll.

If you thought Ordinary Time was Ordinary by any definition of the word, you were wrong.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Prohibiting or suspecting the extraordinary form can only be inspired by the demon who desires our suffocation and spiritual death.”

— Robert Cardinal Sarah (23-sep-2019), chosen by Pope Francis to be the Vatican’s chief liturgist

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  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”

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