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WHY DO CATHOLICS...? ARCHIVE
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What are the Liturgical Seasons and Liturgical Cycle and what do they mean?

The Church’s Sunday liturgy follows a 3-year cycle A, B, & C, in which one of the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, & Luke, respectively, are read at Mass. John’s gospel in interspersed at particular times through the year.

A new cycle always begins at Advent (four Sundays before Christmas). For the Church the Advent Season is about preparing for the coming of Christ. The word "Advent" is from the Latin Adventus, which means "coming." It is a time of preparation and anticipation for the coming of Christ into our lives, therefore the color purple, which symbolizes preparation, is used in the vestments worn and in the church environment. We prepare for not just a celebration of his coming as a baby, but also the many ways he can come and be made manifest in our lives, and certainly in anticipation of his coming again at the end of time.

Advent takes us into the Christmas Season, which ends at the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Because this is such a celebratory feast the color used is white (often with gold, as well). In this season are several special feasts. Of course, Christmas, celebrating the incarnation of Christ; the Feast of the Holy Family, where we remember Mary, Joseph and Jesus and their example of household faith; the Solemnity of Mary (Jan. 1) which celebrates Mary’s motherhood; and Epiphany, which celebrates the visit of the Wise Men, symbolizing that the Good News is offered to all peoples.

After the Christmas Season we enter Ordinary Time. When we think of ordinary, we commonly think of mundane, the usual, the commonplace. But, in this case the word ordinary is taken from ordinal, or counted time, thus we have the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, etc.. The color is green—a time of growth. Is it not in the “ordinary” days of our lives where we really live our lives? The peaks and valleys of our lives are the exception but life happens right where we are every day. In this season we read in the gospels the unfolding of Christ’s life in his daily ministry.

Ordinary Time takes us to the Season of Lent. These 40 days (not counting Sundays) begin Ash Wednesday and end Holy Thursday. A deep purple, the color of penitence is used to symbolize this is a period of interior reflection, penance, prayer and penance. We prepare by journeying for a renewal of our baptism and recommitment of faith.

With Holy Thursday begins the Holy Triduum, three very sacred days that unfold the passion of Christ, they also continue with penitence. Holy Thursday, (the color white is used as a color of celebration) we recall the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. The liturgy ends with a procession with the Blessed Sacrament to a place or repose and the faithful are invited to spend some time in prayer in remembrance of the Christ’s agony in the garden. Good Friday is celebrated with the Liturgy of Good Friday in the afternoon. The color is red—the color of martyrdom and shed blood. There is no Mass, for no masses are permitted after Holy Thursday up to the Easter Vigil. During the Liturgy of Good Friday the passion is read and the cross is venerated, then communion is distributed. (For those who wish, other forms of remembering the day may be through Stations of the Cross or an evening Tenebrae Service which are often held in Catholic churches on Good Friday.) Holy Saturday, after sunset, the highest liturgical feast of the year is celebrated, the Easter Vigil celebrating the resurrection of Christ and his victory over sin and death. At this liturgy those adults becoming Catholic receive sacraments of initiation.

The Easter Season has begun again using white/gold as the color of celebration. This season lasts 50 days, for the days Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection to his ascension and then another 10 to Pentecost and the sending of his Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.

Finally, we enter into another period of Ordinary Time until again we come to Advent and a new cycle.

Laura Broyles, Adult Faith Formation Director
laura.broyles@abecket.org

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