Christ is our model
Read 1 Cor 11:1; 2 Cor 10:5, Col 1:24; Col 2:12. By presenting different aspects of Christıs life and teachings to us throughout the year, we learn how to grow into the full stature of Christ.
Church Calendar
The sequence of the Liturgical year is designed to help Catholics relive the events of salvation in small doses. The three-year cycle of readings provides Catholics with exposure to the major portions of Sacred Scripture. In the calendar the two major liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter/Pentecost present us with the saving words and deeds of Jesus. During these seasons we are invited to reflect upon the spiritual meaning of these events.
The Liturgical Year
The Liturgical Year is the Church's annual remembrance of the events of the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is divided into the two major seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter/Pentecost with Ordinary Time occurring between them. Each season has a time of preparation and a time of celebration.
Meaning behind the Liturgical Year
The feasts of Jesus are arranged in historical sequence giving us an opportunity to relive the major events of his live in a prayerful and meditative manner. Jesus is Savior from the moment of his Incarnation. Therefore, we celebrate and experience his saving power in each of the events of the Church Year put before us.
By including the events within a liturgical celebration the Church helps make Christ's saving power sacramentally available to us. What Jesus once did in Israel, he now does in the mysteries of the liturgy.
Advent Season
The preparation time for Christmas is Advent which extends through the four Sundays before Christmas Day. During Advent we remember the people and events through which God prepared the world for the Messiah's coming. The spirit of Advent is one of anticipation for Jesus, and our prayer is Maranatha, "Come Lord Jesus."
Christmas Season
Our Christmas celebration begins on December 25 when we commemorate the birth of Jesus. It continues through four other feasts, namely the Feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday after Christmas; the Feast of Mary the Mother of God on January 1; The Epiphany on January 6 (or the Sunday after Jan. 1); and Feast of Jesus' Baptism at the Jordan River celebrated the following Sunday.
Easter Season
The Easter season begins with the preparation period of Lent, which is approximately 40 days long. It begins on Ash Wednesday, followed by the first Sunday of Lent, taking place six weeks before Easter. The last week of Lent known as Holy Week begins with Passion Sunday.
Central Event
The central event of the Church Year is the Sacred Triduum. That is the culmination of Lent and the beginning of the Easter celebration. These three days lead us through the events of our salvation, beginning with evening Mass on Holy Thursday, through the Last Supper, the prayer and betrayal in the garden, the arrest and eventual death of Jesus.
During this time, we face the reality of Christ's saving death, which leads us to our celebration of Jesus' Resurrection at the Easter Vigil. Our celebration continues and culminates on Pentecost the fiftieth day after Easter. We celebrate the feast of Our Lord's Ascension, 10 days prior to Pentecost.
Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time is that time between the seasons of Christmas and Easter. Here, we are challenged to live out the events we have prepared for and to celebrate the Eucharist with fellow community members.
Culmination
The themes of the ending Sundays of Ordinary Time deal with the Final Judgment, what is called 'the Day of the Lord', and Christ's triumphant return or Second Coming. Hence the lasts Sunday of the year is observed as the Feast of Christ the King.
Living in the Spirit of the Liturgical Year
Rite of Christian Initiation
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults leads catechumens and the entire Church community - through a conversion process that is celebrated in the seasons of the Church year. Adult initiation becomes a major experience of resurrection and new life for the Church each year at the Easter Vigil.
Celebrate the Liturgical Seasons in our Homes
It is possible to bring the spirit of the seasons into our family activities. During Advent families make Advent wreaths or Jesse Trees, and prepare a Christmas crib. The significance of Christmas trees, lights, candles and gift giving helps bring the true meaning of Christmas to life for many families.
To make Lent feel different from ordinary time, families can find ways to "fast" together. For example, they can give up a favorite TV program or snack during the entire season. Projects to help the poor as a family are also an appropriate form of almsgiving. The significance of Easter eggs, new clothes and an appreciation of spring as a sing of new life should be pointed out. Building community while eating a simple meal is part of our parish Soup Supper evenings.
During both seasons it is a good practice to discuss the daily readings.
Cycle of the Saints
Each year we celebrate feast days and holy days in honor of Mary and the saints which recall the examples of these holy people. Parish churches celebrate their patronal feast day; for St. Edward Parish this is October 13. The Holy Days of Obligation are:
November 1 (All Saints Day)
December 8 (Immaculate Conception),
December 25 (Nativity of Jesus),
January 1 (Solemnity of Mary)
August 15 (Assumption of Mary)
Note that Ascension Thursday has been transferred to the following Sunday in the western US. On the above five days church law directs that we attend Mass.
Lectionary Cycles
There are two lectionary cycles, one for Sundays and major feasts, and the other for the daily cycle. Both cycles give the Scripture readings used in Catholic liturgies for specific days. With the three-year Sunday cycle (named A, B or C), and the two-year daily cycle (years 1 & 2), Catholics hear major portions of Scripture as part of their regular worship.
Cycle A = readings from Gospel of Matthew
Cycle B = readings from Gospel of Mark
Cycle C = readings from Gospel of Luke
Readings from the Gospel of John are used every year after Christmas and during Easter time.
Further study and reflection on Sunday readings provide an excellent way to increase our awareness of Scripture.
Natural Cycle effects on the Church Year
Nature's cycle affects the language of prayers. Winter, snow, short days and the winter solstice provide strong images for the Advent-Christmas cycle. Spring, flowers and talk of sunshine permeate the Easter language. Harvest images appear in the last judgment themes near the end of the Church Year.
Unfortunately, Catholics living in the Southern Hemisphere suffer some consternation because of the reversal of seasons. For them, there is no correspondence with their natural cycle and the Church Year.
Liturgy of the Hours
Although clerics assume the obligation of praying for the people committed to their care by the praying of the Liturgy of the Hours, many of the laity join in their gatherings, or even individually, in this prayer of the universal church.
The two pivotal points of the Liturgy of the Hours are Morning and Evening Prayer. Each is composed of an introductory invocation and hymn, followed by three psalms, then a scripture reading, and the Canticle of Zachary (for morning prayer) or the Canticle of Mary (for evening prayer.) Intercessions, the Lord's Prayer and a blessing conclude the prayer. Night Prayer is briefer, and the Office of Readings is done anytime and provides both scripture readings and inspirational readings from the church fathers.
Prayer (which includes the celebration of the sacraments) is the only means of uniting ourselves more closely with Christ. There is no other way. And so Christians are obliged to use the various forms of prayer which they find most valuable in helping them to identify with Christ in the worship of his Father.
How does the liturgical year help us to pray?
Prayer (which includes the celebration of the sacrament is the only means of uniting ourselves more closely with Christ. There is no other way. And so Christians are obliged to use the various forms of prayer which they find most valuable in helping them to identify with Christ in the worship of his Father.
A particularly helpful way of doing so is in living through the liturgical year in which Christ's life is unfolded and "in some way made present at all times" (Liturgy, #102). The liturgical year starts with Advent, which prepares us for Christ's coming at Christmas and for his Second Coming at the end of time. And so Advent helps us to be ready.
The center of the liturgical year is Easter, prepared for by the 40 days of Lent. Lent recalls Baptism and it stresses a penitential spirit. In this way the feast of the Lord's Resurrection may be celebrated by hearts suitably prepared.
During the Sundays of the Year (Ordinary Time) the events of Christ's public ministry are recalled and celebrated so that the Holy Spirit who led Jesus Christ through the course of his earthly life may lead us, in a similar way, through ours.
Now check your understanding of the reading you have done. Take a self-correcting quiz #88
CRACKER BARREL
FOR DISCUSSION WITH YOUR SPONSOR
1. How do the seasons of the year affect my prayer life?
2. Have I noticed how the seasons of life also parallel the church year? What others beside birth, growth, sickness, happiness, death?