Once the Easter season has come to an end, the Church’s calendar returns to Ordinary Time.  The term “Ordinary Time” can make it sound as though there is nothing very noteworthy in this season, in which the default liturgical colour is green.  When we consider that green is a colour associated with growth, perhaps this “ordinary” time might begin to seem a bit more special.

In any case, there are some key dates during this season.  For Mothers’ Union, this would certainly include Mary Sumner Day on 9th August.  For every institution, the commemoration of the founder is an important occasion.  As is the tradition in the liturgical calendar, Mary Sumner is remembered on the date of her death. 

To the uninitiated it may seem a bit strange to recall a sad occasion, rather than a more conventionally happy one, such as a birthday.  Our Easter celebrations a few weeks ago give us a different perspective on this.  As Christians we believe in the Resurrection.  The life of Mary Sumner was rooted in this faith.  Her work and her witness were aimed at revealing the kingdom of God, especially through the medium of family life.  Mary Sumner knew that she was relying on a greater strength than her own.  It is because the love of God in Jesus proved to be stronger than death, that we can celebrate the date of 9th August with joy and thanksgiving.

Mary Sumner wants us to grasp how great is God’s love for us and for the people we are called to serve.  These words are from the first reading for Mary Sumner Day, from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians: “I pray that you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.”  Mary Sumner knew that this knowledge and love transform ordinary life into something extraordinary!

Richard