I now enter extraordinary time

Of the 6 seasons of the Catholic church, the longest- by far- is what is known as Ordinary time. It is broken up into separate blocks that are determined by some of the movable days of the other seasons.

The first block, of the current liturgical year began on January 13th and concluded on Shrove Tuesday- March 4th.

Now, nearly 100 days later, after the completion of the seasons of Lent, Triduum and Easter, we have returned to Ordinary time. We will remain in it until the Feast of Saint Andrew on November 30th.

It is rare for Advent to start before December and it is rare for Lent to start as late as it did this year- March 5th.

That means that this 2nd block of Ordinary time will be unusually short by church standards (less than 175 days). For me, the block of ordinary Ordinary time will be much shorter because the period of September 22nd to October 13th will be unlike any I have ever experienced before.

So, while this period would typically start a countdown to Advent, for me, it's a countdown to a plane leaving Dulles airport on a journey of faith.

I don't know that many of my friends grasp what this trip means to me and how I search for meaning in every destination and every person associated with every destination.

The trip begins in Lisbon, Portugal. Since this is the birthplace of Saint Anthony of Padua, it begs the question of why he isn't called Saint Anthony of Lisbon, Portugal. I digress. Saint Tony is a go-to Saint for things lost and for impossible causes.

I lost everything including my family and myself. I am asking for him to help me find my way and to obtain the impossible- the reconciliation and conversion of my family.

I have read of many miracles in my life but at Santarem, I will actually see one. This is the site of one of the world's most famous Eucharistic miracles.

Next up, Fatima, the site of one of the greatest public miracles since the parting of the Red Sea. On it goes, as I encounter Saints like Teresa of Avila, Margaret Mary Alacoque and Therese of Lisieux and places like Lourdes and Rue de Bac.

Every single day, a deeper dive into my faith, every single destination, a cry out to heaven for solutions. Even at Normandy, I will ask the young men who didn't make it to that shore to help me, and my family make it to the eternal shore.

It's now staring me down. It's now in the final stretch.

Nothing about this is ordinary to me.