the catholic church · in 2014, advent begins on sunday, november 30th ... there are special feasts...
TRANSCRIPT
The Catholic Church
&
“The Liturgical Year”
Deacon Bob Kepshire
RCIA Class
St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church
November 6, 2014
OBJECTIVES
Define Liturgy
Define Liturgical Year
Define Liturgical Calendar
Gain An Understanding of the Lectionary Cycle
Describe the Liturgical Colors
Gain an Understanding of the Liturgical
Seasons
What is Liturgy?
In Christian Use…
Eastern Churches almost always
associated with the Eucharistic
Sacrifice “Divine Liturgy”
Western Churches…either the
celebration of the Mass or the
whole collection of official
services used in public worship
What is the Origin of Our Liturgy?
The origin of Liturgy is found in the institution by
Christ of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the
Sacraments, as well as in his example and precepts
concerning the necessity and mode of prayer
While Christ laid down the essentials, he left the
development of details to his Church, to carry out
this task under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Who Celebrates the Liturgy?
It is the whole community, the Body of Christ
united with its head that celebrates
Liturgical services are not private functions but
are celebrations of the Church which is ‘the
sacrament of unity,’ namely, the holy people
united and organized under the authority of the
bishops
Therefore, liturgical services pertain to the whole
Body of the Church
When is the Liturgy Celebrated?
Sunday is the pre-eminent day for the liturgical
assembly, when the faithful gather “to listen to
word of God and take part in the Eucharist…thus
calling to mind the Passion, Resurrection, and
glory of the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks to God
who ‘has begotten them again, by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead’ unto
a living hope”
What is the Liturgical Year?
The liturgical year is the
temporal structure within
which the Church
celebrates the holy
mysteries of Christ…
…"From the Incarnation
and the Nativity to the
Ascension, to Pentecost
and to the wait in joyful
hope for the Lord's coming"
What is the Liturgical Calendar?
A tool that kindles the hearts of
Catholics so that they may
remember God’s plan of
salvation that was
accomplished through the birth,
life, death and rising of Jesus
Christ
Follows a three-year cycle,
each represented by the letters:
“A” – “B” – “C”
The Lectionary Cycles
The "Lectionary," the Mass readings from
the Holy Bible, follows a Sunday cycle as
well as a weekday cycle
Year “A” Gospels primarily by Matthew
Year “B” Gospels primarily by Mark
Year “C” Gospels primarily by Luke
Note: The Gospel of John is proclaimed
on particular Sundays in each of the
years
The Lectionary Cycles
On weekdays in Ordinary Time, there is a 2 year
cycle numbered I and II:
Year I is read in odd numbered years
Year II is read in even numbered years
If a person attends the Holy Mass everyday for
three years, having been present for all the
readings of the three cycles, most of the Holy
Bible will have been read to them during that
time frame
The Seasons of the
Liturgical Calendar
There are six Seasons within the Liturgical Calendar…
Advent Christmas Lent /Triduum Easter Ordinary Time
Liturgical Colors
White: Purity, Innocence, Joy, Triumph, Glory
Red: Charity
Violet: Royalty, Suffering, Expectation, Penance
Rose: Joy
Green: Hope, Growth
White (may also use Gold)
Seasons of Christmas and Easter
Feasts of the Lord (other than His Passion)
Feasts of Mary, the Angels, Apostles & Saints who were not martyrs
All Saints (November 1st) & may be used on All Souls (November 2nd)
Weddings, Baptisms, & Funerals
Red
Palm Sunday
Good Friday
Pentecost
“Birthday” Feasts of the
Apostles & Evangelists
Celebrations of Saints who
were martyred
Violet
Season of Lent
Season of Advent
May be used for Funerals
May be used on All Souls
Day (November 2nd)
Rose
3rd Sunday of Advent
(Gaudete Sunday)
4th Sunday of Lent
(Laetare Sunday)
Green
Used throughout Ordinary Time
ADVENT
The liturgical season of
spiritual preparation before
Christmas
The Season of Advent begins
on the Sunday closest to the
Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle
(November 30th)
It spans four Sundays and
four weeks, with the last week
usually shortened according to
what day of the week Christmas
falls on
Advent comes from the
Latin word “adventus”
which means “coming”
The importance of the
Advent Season is to
focus on the coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ
The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year…which will be Cycle “B – I”
In 2014, Advent begins on Sunday, November 30th
Advent concludes with the start of the Christmas Season, which is on Thursday, December 25, 2014
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Stresses the two-fold meaning of the “coming”…
…“When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent
each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy
of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation
for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their
ardent desire for his second coming.” (CCC 524)
The focus of the entire season is the celebration of …
The birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent,
And the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in
his Second Advent
Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year
old event in history
It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of
God in Christ whereby all of creation might be
reconciled to God
CHRISTMAS
Christmas is more than
just a day…rather it is a
season
The liturgical Season of
Christmas begins with
the vigil Masses on
Christmas Eve and
concludes with the Feast
of the Baptism of the
Lord on January 11, 2015
While the Solemnity of
the Birth of Our Savior
in fact ranks after
Easter and Pentecost,
it remains the most
popular celebration of
the Church year,
focused on our wonder
at the sublime mystery
of the Incarnation
LENT / HOLY TRIDUUM
The Season of Lent extends
from Ash Wednesday
(February 18, 2015) to the
evening Mass of the Lord’s
Supper on Holy Thursday (April 2, 2015)
Lent is the penitential season
set aside by the Church in
order for the faithful to
prepare for the celebration of
the Lord’s Passion, Death
and Resurrection
During this holy season, inextricably connected to the Paschal Mystery, the Catechumens prepare for Christian initiation, and current Church members prepare for Easter by a recalling of Baptism and by works of penance…
Prayer
Fasting
Almsgiving
The two elements which are especially characteristic of Lent…
Baptism (the recalling of baptism or the preparation for it)
Penance
The Holy Triduum is comprised of three
Sacred Days…
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Holy Thursday
Holy Thursday we celebrate
the events of the Last
Supper
At the Last Supper that
Jesus instituted the pillars
of our Catholic faith…
The Eucharist
The Priesthood
Mass
At the Last Supper,
Jesus washed the feet
of his disciples
demonstrating that we
all must be willing to
serve one another
During the Mass, the
clergy wash the feet of
several members of
the Parish
Following the Holy
Thursday Mass; Adoration
of the Holy Eucharist
continues until midnight
This symbolizes the time
Jesus spent in prayer in
Garden of Gethsemane
We remember the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ
We have a Good Friday service but there is no Mass
During this service our Gospel reading details the events of our Lord’s Passion
We venerate the Cross honoring our Lord’s sacrifice for us
Good Friday
Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil Mass
At the Easter Vigil Mass
we celebrate the
Resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ
At this service our
catechumens and
candidates will enter the
Church through the
Sacraments of Initiation…
Baptism
Confirmation
Holy Eucharist
EASTER
Easter is not one day
or one solemnity…it is
a fifty day celebration,
extending from Easter
Sunday to Pentecost
Sunday
A season of solemnity
and exaltation at the
triumph of Jesus over
sin and death
ORDINARY TIME
There is nothing ordinary
about “Ordinary Time”
It is a time of spiritual
growth, as we learn from
the life and teachings of
Jesus Christ
This is the part of the
Liturgical Year in which
Christ walks among us
and transforms our lives
Ordinary comes from the Latin word “Ordinalis” which refers to numbers in a series
In Ordinary Time the Sundays/weeks are ordered or numbered
Following the Season of Christmas, Ordinary Time will extend to the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday
Following the Season of Easter we enter a second and longer period of Ordinary Time that will last until Advent
Holy Days of Obligation
Most days of obligation fall on a Sunday, however,
there are special Feasts in the Liturgical Calendar
that fall during the week
The number of days of obligation may vary from
country to country. In the United States, the
following 6 days of obligation are observed
Christmas Day (December 25th)
Mary, the Mother of God (January 1st)
The Ascension (7th Sunday of Easter)
The Assumption of Mary (August 15th)
All Saint’s Day (November 1st)
The Immaculate Conception (December 8th)
QUESTIONS?