26/11/2018
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[CatBits: The Liturgical Year]
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe is coming up! This feast day (happening on Sunday, November 25) marks the end of another Liturgical Year.
Did you know that we have a cycle of seasons in the Church, too? The Church’s Liturgical Year contains 6 seasons beginning with the season of Advent.
ADVENT: A 4-week preparation leading up to the celebration of the Birth of our Lord. This season (beginning on December 2 this year) marks the start of another liturgical year in the Church.
CHRISTMAS: The celebration of Jesus’ birth into the world and into our hearts. This season is a time of rejoicing for and reflecting on the gift of salvation that was born with Jesus. The Church has a long Christmas season, beginning with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and ending on the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (January 13, 2019).
LENT: A six-week period of prayer, penance, and sacrifice leading up to the Easter Triduum. In this season we are called to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord more and to renew our baptismal commitment. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday
SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM: the holiest “Three Days” in the Church’s calendar, this is the summit of the Liturgical Year in which the suffering, death, and resurrection of Our Lord are recalled. Though 3 days chronologically, the Triduum (Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion, and the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord) is liturgically considered as just one day. This marks the end of the Lenten Season.
EASTER: The most important celebration in the Church’s calendar (yes, even more than Christmas) with Easter Sunday being the greatest of all Sundays. It is the joyful celebration of Christ’s victory over death through His Resurrection culminating in his Ascension into Heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. The Easter season spans 50 days starting from Easter Sunday up to Pentecost.
ORDINARY TIME: If the Christmas and Easter seasons highlight the central mysteries of the Christian faith (the Incarnation, Death on the Cross, Resurrection, the Ascension of Jesus, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit), the Ordinary time takes us through Jesus’ life. It is a season for us to grow and mature in the faith. The Ordinary Time is divided into two sections in the Church’s Year: after Christmas and after Easter. The last Sunday of Ordinary Time is on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, representing the goal towards Whom all of creation and history are moving.
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Source:
Liturgical Year
Link: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/index.cfm
