ADVENT
Advent, from the Latin word adventus, means coming. During the four weeks before Christmas we look forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as king and judge at the end of time and to our Christmas celebration of his coming as our Saviour 2,000 years ago.
During the first weeks of Advent (up to December 16) we reflect on Christ as our coming king and our judge; we wait in joyful hope for his return in glory to complete his work on earth.
Beginning on December 17, we join with the prophets and the people of God who looked forward to the birth of the Messiah. We express our longing for God’s mercy, and grow more aware of our need for this saving help.
A Season of Renewal
During Advent, we express our great longing for God. Who are we without God? Apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15.5). We prepare ourselves and wait for God’s coming. We open our hearts to Jesus in prayer, and show by our actions each day that we are his. We try to love other people more, and to be more patient and understanding. We pray for others, especially those who are close to us, and ask God to help them to grow in love.
During Advent we are invited to change our lives and our hearts. God wants us to prepare for his coming by doing good. Each day we should look at our faults and weaknesses and ask our Father to help us to follow Jesus more closely.
A Season of Hope
Advent brings hope, because Jesus is always ready to help us to grow. He has conquered sin and selfishness by his obedient death and by his rising; he can help us to change our lives for the better. If we want to grow closer to him, and pray and work to improve, Jesus will help us to change for him.
A Season of Joy
We are followers of Jesus, who is the king of glory. We are happy because he is our king, and we are his brothers and sisters. We rejoice because God is our dear Father and because the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts. We are happy because Jesus wants to give us his peace and let us share his joy now and in heaven forever.
Advent is not a time of penance like Lent. It is a season of renewal, when God invites us to let Jesus come into our hearts and make us more like him. It is a season of quiet expectation; we live it in the expectation of the fullness of joy to come.
CHRISTMAS
Christmas is one of the most important days of the Church year, second only to Easter itself. It is the feast of the Incarnation, the feast of God taking on human flesh. It is a uniquely Christian teaching, that God chose to become one of us.
The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him; that he was born to die for us.
Christmas Practices & Devotions
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree is a popular symbol of the liturgical season of Christmas and a tradition in many Christian homes. The evergreen of the tree reminds us of God’s promise of eternal life. The shape of the tree as a triangle reminds us that our one God is a trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The lights of the tree call to mind that Jesus is the Light of the World whose birth has scattered the darkness of sin and death forever.
The Nativity Scene
During Advent, the nativity scene may have been prepared in a place of honour, yet remaining empty f the figurines. Now on Christmas Eve, you gather as a family and place the figures in crèche remembering the significance of Christ’s birth to each of them as you do.
St. Francis of Assisi began the tradition of the nativity scene or crèche. Instead of figurines, St. Francis would use people in the community to play the parts of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and the shepherds, as well as live animals. Eight hundred years later, Christians everywhere keep this tradition alive by reconstructing the scene of our Saviour’s birth in their homes, places of work, schools and churches.
Gift Giving
It is traditional to exchange Christmas gifts with family and friends as a way to honour God the Father’s gift of his only Son to the world. Having received the gift of Christ, we naturally want to pass that gift along to our loved ones. Gift giving also remembers the gifts of the Magi who presented gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Lord representing the three-fold offices of the Messiah as priest, prophet and king.
Jesse Tree
A branch (Jeremiah 23.5) or large plant (Isaiah 11.1) is decorated with symbols of Christ’s ancestors. As each is prepared and hung, the story of this person is told. Each member of the family can prepare the symbol and the biography of this person and share it as the symbol is hung upon the tree. On Christmas Eve, a symbol for the Christ Child is placed on the tree as the story of his birth is read aloud.
Special Liturgical Celebrations during the Christmas Season
- The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
- The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph
- The Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God
- The Epiphany of the Lord
- The Baptism of the Lord
LENT
The Season of Lent
Historically the origin of Lent is tied to the final spiritual preparation of catechumens for baptism and initiation into the Church at the Easter Vigil. These days of prep ration were marked by prayer, fasting and almsgiving or acts of charity. Over time, Christians were so moved by the devotion of the catechumens that they began to join them in these acts in preparation for celebrating the Feast of Easter.
Regardless if you are preparing to be baptized or already are, the purpose of Lent remains the same to turn our hearts to the Lord and give some perspective to our lives. Lent is not a season for comfort. It is a season for sacrifice and growth. It calls us to move. And this is the great question we have to ask ourselves: What makes me move, what drives me?
Lenten Sacrifice
The Season of Lent is once again upon us. Often the big question each Catholic has is: “What am I going to give up for Lent this year?” The possibilities seem infinite and overwhelming.
Some of the best advice on how to make this a productive and rewarding Lent can be found in the Scriptures. In Luke 10.27, Jesus is talking with a lawyer about what it takes to gain eternal life. Jesus asks the lawyer for his opinion on the matter. The lawyer says “You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.”
Jesus tells us that the lawyer gives the right answer as he replies “Do this, and you will live.” This verse is the foundation of all our Lenten ideas and sacrifices. A lot of times, we try to do one huge sacrifice that seems like the most impressive thing we can think of, but the point is not how big our sacrifices are. Lent is about learning to love God better, and Jesus gives us a few different areas to work on in this passage. Heart, soul, strength, mind, neighbour; here are five different ways we can grow closer to Christ.
Heart
Where are you emotionally with God? With your parents, family members and friends? Are there grudges or unresolved problems in your relationships? Is there someone or something that you place ahead of God?
Soul
How much prayer time are you getting daily? When was the last time you went to Confession or a daily Mass? Do you leave Mass early or remain until the end? Do you have a saint or a particular part of Church history you want to know about?
Strength
Saint Pope John Paul II always talked about how our bodies are linked into our spiritual lives, and it’s very true. Are you living an active life? Do you spend time with others? It is amazing the freedom that comes from the small accomplishment of just getting off the couch and being active whether it is sports, socializing or a hobby.
Mind
Where is your willpower at? Can you resist the little temptations of life — that extra-large order of French fries or the extra ten minutes you know you should not be online at night? Even in the smallest things, growing in willpower helps us resist temptations in all areas of life.
Neighbour
How do you love those around you? Do you sacrifice for others? Do you listen when they need to talk? Something as simple as a word of affirmation or emptying a full dishwasher can serve as a huge statement of love for those around you.
At this point you might be thinking “That is a lot of stuff to do! I can barely handle one thing for Lent.” Worry not. Pick one area from those five, and then pick one small, attainable thing from that category. Maybe it’s getting up ten minutes earlier to pray, maybe it is trying to stop being critical of others. It is up to you.
As Lent goes on, if you are doing well, you can add in something from another category too. Just remember to keep focused on why you are doing this – to love Jesus more. Walk the road these forty days and you will be that much more united with him when he walks the road to Calvary this Holy Week.
Lenten Practices & Devotions
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
As our hearts change through our Lenten works, we recognize the need to reconcile ourselves with God and our neighbours. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is widely available during Lent and all are encouraged to avail themselves of the sacramental graces that flow from God’s mercy and love for us.
The Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross recount the final steps of Jesus when he his condemned to death by Pilate to his death on the cross and finally his Resurrection. Throughout Lent, individuals are welcome to pray the Stations on their own during the weekday. The communal celebration of the Stations are prayed in the evening of each Friday of Lent.
The Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)
Throughout all the days of Lent we are encouraged to reflect upon the sufferings of our Lord and his Mother Mary by praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
Fasting & Abstinence from Meat
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are universal days of fasting and abstinence from meat. On the other Fridays of Lent, Catholics may abstain from meat or perform an act of charity that you would not normally do. Fasting and abstinence remind us that there are hungers inside of us that earthly things cannot satisfy. We were made for heaven and we will always feel slightly “incomplete” until we get there. C.S. Lewis said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
The Hot Cross Bun
In the Middle Ages, all Christians abstained from meat for the entire forty days of Lent. Throughout these days, the faithful would east small cakes or buns with raisins and other dried fruits as part of their Lenten fasting. The top of the bun was cut in the shape of a cross and served hot from the oven, hence its name. It was especially eaten on Good Friday and became a symbol of this day, the Day of the Cross.
The Pretzel
This popular snack food has a religious origin. The pretzel was invented by German monks in the Middle Ages to teach children about the importance of prayer during Lent. At that time, monks would pray with their arms folded over their chests. The monks made the pretzel to represent this gesture of arms folded in prayer. They gave this tasty treat as a reward to children who could recite their prayers from memory. The pretzel not only reminded children how to pray, but about the necessity to pray always, for just as food nourishes the body, so prayer nourishes the soul. The next time you are enjoying some pretzels, remember to say a little prayer too.
TRIDUUM
The Sacred Paschal Triduum
Through his Paschal Mystery, the Lord Jesus redeemed the human race and gave perfect glory to the Father. By dying, Christ destroyed our death; by rising, he restored our life. For this reason, the Sacred Paschal Triduum, when we celebrate the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord, is the high point of the Liturgical Year. The Triduum opens with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, continues with the remembrance of Christ’s passion, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil and concludes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. Following the Triduum, we enter the holy season of Easter.
The word Triduum comes from the Latin root for three days; specifically the three days of the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. Since the Triduum begins with the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday, day one of the Triduum ends on the evening of Good Friday, the second day ending the evening of Holy Saturday, and the third day ending on the evening of Easter Sunday.
Practices & Devotions during the Triduum
Prayer, Fasting, Works of Charity & Silence
During the Triduum, Christians maintain and increase their lenten practices of prayer, fasting and works of charity.
Good Friday is an universal day of fasting and abstinence from meat. Fasting and abstinence remind us that there are hungers inside of us that earthly things cannot satisfy. We were made for heaven and we will always feel slightly “incomplete” until we get there. C.S. Lewis said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
During the solemn time leading up to the Easter Vigil, the faithful maintain a prayerful silence in church so that all may enter into the spirit of these great days without distraction. As much as possible, unnecessary work is avoided so that one’s full attention is on the Lord.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Following the Mass of the Lord’s Supper the Blessed Sacrament is transferred to a side chapel. The faithful are encouraged to spend quiet time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, reflecting especially on the sufferings and passion that the Lord will endure on account of our sins. Until the Easter Vigil, the Blessed Sacrament remains reposed in the side chapel and the sanctuary is stripped bare as a visible reminder that the Lord is in the tomb and we wait in hopeful silence.
The Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross recount the final steps of Jesus when he his condemned to death by Pilate to his death on the cross and finally his Resurrection. On this day Christians around the world gather to meditate and journey with the Lord to Calvary and the cross.
The Rosary
During the Triduum, we are encouraged to reflect upon the mysteries of our salvation by praying the Rosary. A helpful way is to meditate on the Luminous Mysteries on Holy Thursday, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Good Friday, and the Glorious Mysteries on Easter Sunday.
Renewal of Baptismal Promises
During all the Masses of the Resurrection of the Lord, we celebrate the new life we have received through our Baptism and we recommit ourselves to living out our baptismal call to proclaim to the “ends of the earth the Good News.” During the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday, as a Community we renew our baptismal promises and then are sprinkled with the new blessed water. It is customary for Catholics to take with them some of this newly blessed water for use at home throughout the year.
Entering into Easter Joy with Others
On Easter Sunday we gather with our families and friends to celebrate the joy of the Lord’s rising. With Lent over, we stop our fasting and works of penance. During this time of celebration and feasting, we are called to remember and help those who do not have enough to eat, so that all may know and enjoy the joy of Easter.
EASTER
The Season of Easter
The Easter season flows from the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and concludes fifty days later on Pentecost. It is a joyous season in which we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension, as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church. This is a time of rejoicing, when Alleluia should be sung with renewed and heartfelt emotion after having completed the forty days of penitential preparation of Lent.
The Easter season is full of symbols which remind us of the new and abundant life that Jesus has won for us. The primary symbol is the Paschal Candle which stands in a prominent place in the sanctuary and is lit for every liturgical celebration until the conclusion of Pentecost. The newly blessed water and holy oils used in the celebration of the Sacraments also direct our minds to the purpose of Easter and that we are God’s redeemed and holy people.
Easter Practices & Devotions
Renewal of Baptismal Promises
Easter is a season of celebrating the new life we have received through our Baptism and a recommitting to our baptismal call to proclaim to “the ends of the earth the Good News.” On Easter Sunday, as a Community we renew our baptismal promises and then are sprinkled with the newly blessed water. It is customary for Catholics to take home some of this newly blessed water for use at home throughout the year.
Scripture Readings at Mass
During the Easter season, the Liturgy of the Word follows a different format for selection of Scripture readings. Outside of Easter, the first reading is taken from the Old Testament. During Easter the first reading is always taken from the Acts of Apostles and recounts the growth of the early Church.
Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
During Easter, Catholics are encouraged to reflect and ponder upon the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary which are liturgically celebrated during this season.
Special Liturgical Celebrations during the Easter Season
- The Resurrection of the Lord (Easter)
- The Ascension of the Lord
- Pentecost
ORDINARY TIME
The Season of Ordinary Time
Due to the connotations of the term “ordinary”, which is used to describe things that have no distinctive features, many people misunderstand Ordinary Time as being unimportant. But nothing could be further from the truth; there is nothing uninteresting about Ordinary Time. It is called Ordinary Time because the weeks are numbered. So Ordinary Time is not just any ordinary time, but it is when the Church does things in order (as in 1st, 2nd, 3rd… week of the season). Ordinary Time consists of 34 weeks and celebrated in two segments: from the Monday following the Baptism of Jesus to Ash Wednesday, and from the Monday following Pentecost to the first Sunday of Advent. The liturgical season of Ordinary Time is the longest season of the Church year.
The liturgical colour during Ordinary Time is green, the colour of hope and growth. During these 34 weeks, the Church calls us to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ’s life and his teaching ministry with his disciples. This is an opportunity for every Catholic to grow in his/her faith. With the absence of major celebrations such as Christmas and Easter, the faithful are encouraged to put their faith into practice. It is a time to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5.7). During this time, all of us are to strive to become messengers of the Gospel by strengthening our prayer life by meditating on the Scriptures, and also aspire to rekindle our love of Christ through Eucharistic devotion.
The first segment of the Ordinary Time focuses on the childhood and public ministry of Jesus Christ; while the second segment focuses on the role of the Church in preparing us for the Second Coming of Christ. It is also appropriate that this segment goes hand in hand with the summer season. We usually only notice the bustling greens of nature during summer, but silently it is preparing for autumn and winter. Like nature, the Church is also reminding us to use the time to prepare ourselves for the autumn and winter in our own lives.
Practices & Devotions
Scripture Meditation
Reflection on the Sunday Gospel is central to the season of Ordinary Time. During this time, Jesus is seen instructing his followers on the meaning and practice of discipleship. Taking the Sunday Gospel to prayer and applying the gained insights to our daily life encourages us to become faithful disciples of the Lord.
Eucharistic Devotion
Reflection and meditation on the Scriptures leads us to hunger more for the Lord. Eucharistic devotion comes in many forms: participating in daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Benediction and private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament to name a few. Having heard his Word to follow him, Eucharistic devotions nourish and strengthen us to remain steadfast to this call.
Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary & the Saints
The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints are all role models of discipleship for us. By their lives we come to know the many and varied ways to serve the Lord. Devotion to Blessed Mary and the Saints through the imitation of their virtues, reminds us that we do not walk alone as we journey through life. We are strengthened by their support and we share in their joy when we finally take our own place as saints among saints in the halls of heaven.
Any Good Work
Ordinary Time is primarily a time to learn how to grow in discipleship. This is accomplished by any work of charity. It can be as simple as smiling at a stranger or holding open a door, to working in a soup kitchen or exercising a liturgical ministry in the parish community, to refusing to participate in gossip or praying for those who do us harm.
The ways to do good are endless and only limited by your imagination, so think big and serve the Lord.