We are currently in the midst of Ordinary Time on the church
calendar—the time between the times, or even “off season,” to borrow a sports
metaphor. Although not in this year’s cycle, Christians usually encounter a
gospel reading from John and the first miracle at the wedding in Cana of
Galilee. Filled with food and laughter, this wedding becomes the place where Jesus
fulfills his mother’s desire and turns water into wine. He chooses in this
moment to embrace the joy of the dance.
Eating, drinking, laughing, and dancing are earthy
activities that point toward the liturgical color of this “time between the
times.” It is a reminder that behind the great dance of creation stands the
Lord and Giver of Life. Hildegard of Bingen suggested as much when she
identified the Spirit’s activity with viriditas,
a challenging word to translate. Despite its archaic nature (or maybe because
of it), I prefer verdancy to the more mundane greenness because Hildegard
intends to underscore a lush and rich landscape teeming with life and
fragrance. It evokes ideas of freshness as when the dew first settles upon the
earth and all is alight with a sheen of radiance and glory; and fecundity as
the way in which fields once barren in winter’s snow can suddenly spring forth
into life, transforming a dormant world into a paradise of sights and smells.
