The Liturgical Year

1. The Liturgical Year Good Shepherd Family Faith Formation Group October 29, 2018

2. MARKING TIME • The notion of time helps us celebrate life by marking, counting and recalling the important dates and events in our lives. Ex: Birthdays, anniversaries , graduations, etc.

3. Special Times • Share with the person next to you about one special celebration that you recall vividly: • What was the occasion? • When was it? • Who was there? • Where did you gather? • Why did you gather? • What was involved – food? music? sharing memories?

4. Two ways to mark time As Catholic Christians, we mark time two ways: • Chronos is the time we measure. • Ex: hours, days, weeks, minutes • Kairos is the Lord’s time. • It is God’s special time, the ‘right time’. • Kairos reveals his will for our lives.

5. Marking time the church’s way • The Church developed the liturgical cycle to help us preserve our identity as the people of God. • When you shared about your special celebration memory, those same elements are present in our Sunday gatherings: • What was the occasion? worshiping God • Who was there? all the faithful • Why did you gather? Because God commands us to • Where did you gather? in our church • What was involved – • food? we share a meal • music? raise our voices in song • sharing memories? hear Scripture stories of our ancestors

6. The Liturgical year • The Liturgical year (or Church calendar) helps us recall and celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. • This is called the Paschal Mystery. • The Hebrew word pesach (Passover) became the Greek word pascha. • Because Jesus’ death happened at the time of Passover, the term paschal mystery refers to his suffering, death, and resurrection. • The candle lit at the Easter Vigil and used throughout the Easter season is called the paschal candle.

7. The Liturgical Cycle • There are five (or six) specific seasons in the Church’s calendar: • Advent • Christmas • Ordinary Time • Lent • (the Triduum) • Easter • Each season of the liturgical year focuses on an important aspect of Christ’s life.

8. The Liturgical Year • The Liturgical year is a cycle of seasons repeating itself at the end of each cycle. • The Church year or cycle begins with Advent and ends in Ordinary Time.

10. What is liturgy? • The word liturgical comes from the Greek word liturgy. • Liturgy meant “Public Works” • In Church language, liturgy is the public worship given to God. • i.e. Mass and sacraments.

11. The seasons of the year • Each season in the Liturgical calendar has a particular theme. • Each season has a particular liturgical color. • Each season concentrates on different parts of the Bible. • Each season has different religious practices, and symbols.

12. The Liturgical Year at mass • Color Changes • Priest Vestments • Altar Server Cinctures • Art & Environment • Banners • Decorations fitting to the liturgical season – i.e. Advent wreath, no vibrant flowers during Lent; etc. • Mass parts • No Alleluia or Gloria during Lent; these celebratory hymns return at the Easter Vigil • Scripture • Each new Liturgical Year signals a change in the Gospel readings • Year A = Matthew • Year B = Mark (Current) • Year C = Luke • John is used throughout the year

13. ADVENT • Themes: • Awaiting the Messiah • Preparing for Christmas • Final Judgement • Colors • Purple • Rose on 3rd Sunday • Start/End • Begins four Sundays before Christmas • Ends on Christmas • Special Feasts and Holy Days • The Immaculate Conception of Mary, December 8. • Symbols • Advent Wreath • Jesse Tree • Central Focus • Anticipation and preparation, with an underlying thread of penitence, awaiting the coming of the Savior.

14. CHRISTMAS • Themes: • The Birth of Christ • The Incarnation • Colors • White • Start/End • Christmas Eve • January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany • January 13, Baptism of the Lord, end of Christmas season • Special Feasts and Holy Days • The Nativity of the Lord, December 25 • Mary, Mother of God, January 1 • Epiphany, January 6 • Baptism of the Lord, January 13 • Symbols • The Nativity scene (creche)

15. The 12 days of christmas The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January - also known as Twelfth Night. The 12 Days each traditionally celebrate a feast day for a saint and/or have different celebrations: Day 1 (25th December): Christmas Day - celebrating the Birth of Jesus Day 2 (26th December also known as Boxing Day): St Stephen’s Day. He was the first Christian martyr; also the day when the Christmas Carol 'Good King Wenceslas' takes place. Day 3 (27th December): St John the Apostle Day 4 (28th December): The Feast of the Holy Innocents - when people remember the baby boys which King Herod killed when he was trying to find and kill the Baby Jesus. Day 5 (29th December): St Thomas Becket. He was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century and was murdered on 29th December 1170 for challenging the King’s authority over the Church. Day 6 (30th December): St Egwin of Worcester.

16. The 12 days of christmas Day 7 (31st December): New Year's Eve (known as Hogmanay in Scotland). Pope Sylvester I is traditionally celebrated on this day. Day 8 (1st January) Holy Day of Obligation - Mary, Mother of God Day 9 (2nd January): St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, two important 4th century Christians. Day 10 (3rd January): Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. This remembers when Jesus was officially 'named' in the Jewish Temple. Day 11 (4th January): St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. Day 12 (5th January also known as Epiphany Eve): St. John Neumann who was the first Bishop in America.

17. LENT • Themes: • Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving • Colors: • Purple • Rose (3rd Sunday) • Start/End • From Ash Wednesday, to • Holy Thursday (40 days excluding Sundays) • Special Feasts and Holy Days • Ash Wednesday • Symbols • Ashes • Central Focus • Repentance • Conversion

18. TRIDUUM Three most important days of the liturgical year- • Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday • Christ’s Passion on Good Friday • Easter Vigil during the night of Holy Saturday; Easter Sunday Masses • The Core of our Faith • The Last Supper on Holy Thursday: • Service: Jesus washes the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper • The Real Presence: “This is My Body; This is My Blood”

19. TRIDUUM • The Core of our Faith • Good Friday • Jesus dies on the cross • The only day of the year when Mass is not celebrated • The tabernacle is open and empty • Holy Saturday • Jesus lies in the tomb – a day of quiet and reflection • We know the good news of Easter, but the people of Jesus’ lifetime did not…………….

20. EASTER • Themes: • New Life, Resurrection and Witnessing • Color: • White • Start/End • From Easter Vigil, • 40 days to Ascension Thursday; • 50 days to Pentecost • Special Feasts and Holy Days • Ascension • Pentecost • Holy Trinity • Corpus Christi • Symbols • Paschal Candle • Resurrection Cross • Central Focus • Sharing our Faith – Jesus stayed with the disciples to strengthen their faith before he ascended into heaven

21. When is easter? • According to the Bible, Jesus Christ's death and resurrection occurred around the time of the Jewish Passover, which was celebrated on the first Full Moon following the vernal equinox. • At the end of the 2nd century, some churches celebrated Easter on the day of the Passover, while others celebrated it on the following Sunday. • In 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. (*the date for Ash Wednesday is 40 days, excluding Sundays, prior to Easter.) • In the Gregorian calendar, Easter falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 

22. ORDINARY TIME • Theme: • The Public Ministry of Christ • Color: • Green • Start/End • from the end of Christmas to the beginning of Lent; and, • the end of Easter to the beginning of Advent. • Symbols • The Chi Rho symbol • Special Feasts and Holy Days • Assumption of the Virgin Mary - August 15. • All Saints' Day on November 1 • Feast of Christ the King – final Sunday in the year; this year November 25 • Central Focus • The Teachings and Ministry of Jesus

23. What is the ‘chi-rho’? • one of the earliest symbols for Christ, • formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters—chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos); • the vertical stroke of the rho intersects the center of the chi. • Symbols for the Alpha and Omega on either side Return

24. DOES ‘ORDINARY’ MEAN UNIMPORTANT? • The Latin word ordinalis, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. • The numbered weeks of Ordinary Time, represent the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) nor in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. • Thus, Ordinary Time is a numbered (or ordered) list of Sundays that anchor our daily lives in the Catholic Church.

25. December 2nd - Happy New (LITURGICAL)Year