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Home , Ash Wednesday, Ember days, Feast of Christ the King, Gaudete Sunday, Ordinary Time, Precepts of the Church

& Precepts of the

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5 min Talk about the seasons of the year.

Spring is new growth, summer is full of life, Fall is a maturing - aging, and Winter is dying. All four seasons are important - give an example:

A seed sprouts (spring) and grows into a beautiful flower (summer), as the flower ages it shows its seeds (fall), then the flower dies and the seeds are spread (winter) and new life will begin again.

There is a rhythm to this cycle of life, that is why it is called the cycle or circle of LIFE. Each stage (or season) gives life to the next. This is the same for the church seasons, they are all important. There is a rhythm to the life of the church, and each “season” brings life to the next one. If you pay attention to the colors and the readings and the songs during you will start to see the different liturgical seasons and their importance.

30 min Discuss the different seasons of the church year, and the colors. You can do this while they are working on the activity - Liturgical Calendar (see below). Or you can give the teaching and then have them do the activity. † Explain what the colors mean. (See attached sheet for Liturgical Colors)

Teaching - Violet We begin the Liturgical year with Advent; it is always the after Thanksgiving. Advent last 4 weeks and the color is violet because it is a time of prayer, , and preparation for the coming of our Lord. During Advent we should be preparing our hearts to receive the beautiful gift of out hope, light, and salvation through this tiny baby . The third Sunday of Advent is called , it is a time of rejoicing in the hope of the coming of our savior. That is why we have a Rose colored candle on the for the third week.

Christmas – White/Gold After Advent we celebrate the season of , did you know that Christmas last for twelve days? Christmas doesn’t end on Dec 26th, Catholics celebrate the birth of Christ for a full twelve days. The Christmas season goes through (celebrating the visit of the Magi to Jesus) and ends on the Baptism of Jesus.

Ordinary Time – Green time doesn’t mean “Boring” time – meaning nothing is going on. is like the season of summer, it is a time of life in the church. There are two periods of Ordinary time during the year, the time between Christmas and is shorter than the time between and Advent.

Lent – Violet The season of Lent begins on Ash and last s for 40 days, (46 days minus the Sundays during Lent). Lent is a time of prayer, penance (repent), and sacrifice (almsgiving and personal sacrifice). Every during Lent we are asked to abstain from meat, and on and we are asked to abstain from meat along with . Did you know that Catholics used to have to fast from Meat on every Friday during the year? That is because we remember the death of Christ on the cross, just like every Sunday is like a “mini” Easter. It was changed to only abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, although we are still asked to “give up” something else on the other Fridays during the year. The reason for the change is because in the USA, meat is not considered a “luxury” as it was in antiquity (the time of the Bible). What could you give up every Friday?

Holy Week – Red starts on , the Sunday before Easter. We celebrate the day that Jesus enters Jerusalem and the people greet Him with Palms in honor of Him. Then we celebrate the ; which is Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and (). Did you know that the only day in the whole world that Mass is not celebrated is on Good Friday? Catholics celebrate Mass everyday of the year except Good Friday, that is because on Good Friday we acknowledge when Christ dies on the cross and is placed in the tomb. At that time, God is not with us. It is red to signify the passion and death of our Lord.

Easter – White or Gold Easter is the highest of all celebrations in the church, more than Christmas. The manger stands in the shadow of the cross. When Jesus rises from the dead the gates of Heaven were opened and death was concurred, and the promises for God were fulfilled. The Resurrection gives us all hope for eternal life. We celebrate the Easter season for 50 days!!!

Pentecost – Red The Easter season ends on , the day that the Holy Spirit descends onto the Apostles, it is referred to as the Birthday of the church. Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and three thousand people became Catholic at Pentecost. It is red to represent the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Ordinary Time - Green We then finish out the rest of the year in ordinary time.

Activity – Create a Liturgical Calendar Supplies needed: Cardboard rounds Liturgical calendar wheel Scissors glue crayons, markers, or colored pencils

15 min Precepts of the As Catholics we are expected to live a certain way, the way that God calls us to live. The church gives us guidelines of what those absolute minimum actions are. So we are going to go over the basic/minimum requirements to living a Catholic life.

The Church gives these precepts to remind us that Christian life requires a commitment to prayer and active participation in the liturgy and . We shouldn’t just go through the motions.

If you play a sport, and you only went through the motions (not giving it your all), do you think your coach will play you very often during games? Just like that, if we fall below this bare-minimum level, we can't really say that we are living a Catholic life, and so we are really not in full with the Catholic Church.

***Each of these precepts of the Catholic Church is a requirement. Together with the Ten Commandments, they represent the minimum level of moral living. Intentional violation of the precepts or the Commandments is a grave matter, meaning a mortal sin.

The Precepts You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor. 1. An example of servile work would be work that you do other days during the week.

We "sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord" (Sunday), as well as the days, known as Catholic holy days of obligation. This requires attending Mass, "and by resting from those (unnecessary) works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days."

2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.

We must prepare for the Eucharist by means of the of Reconciliation (Confession). This sacrament "continues Baptism's work of conversion and forgiveness."

3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.

This "guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord's Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the ." It is encouraged to receive Jesus in the Eucharist every Sunday as long as you are in a state of grace. (free from Mortal sin)

4. You shall observe the days of fasting and established by the Church. (More info below on fasting and abstinence if there are questions or you have time to go over it.)

"The fourth precept ensures the times of sacrifice and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart."

5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.

"The fifth precept means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability." It is recommended to 10% of your gross income.

(These quotations are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in its section about the Precepts of the Catholic Church (#2041-3).)

Note that these precepts of the Catholic Church are required, unless you have a legitimate reason for not meeting them. For example:

 If you are sick, or tending to a sick child on Sunday and cannot get to Mass, it is not a grave violation (mortal sin) to miss Mass that day.  If you are camping in the wilderness on a Sunday and can not get to Mass, you can go to a priest and get a dispensation before hand to miss Mass and that will not be a mortal sin.  Children, the elderly, and pregnant or nursing women do not have to fast on normal fast days (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday).

Go beyond the minimum! Always remember: the precepts of the Catholic Church are minimum levels of participation in the life of the Church. Out of love for Christ and a desire to advance in the spiritual life, you will normally try to do far more than they require.

Many people recommend that Catholics:

 Attend Mass at least one more time a week. (Most Church celebrate Mass every day of the year!)  Go to confession at least once a month, and find a regular confessor so he can give you better guidance.  Find a good spiritual director to give you sound guidance for growing in the spiritual life.  Receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at every Mass, if you meet the guidelines for reception (are free from mortal sin, etc.).  Make a habit of practicing penitential and charitable acts beyond those required by the precepts of the Catholic Church.  Contribute as much as possible to the material needs of the Church and the needy.

10 min Liturgy Game Break the group into groups

5 min Journal: What did you learn about the rhythm of the church?

What is your favorite Liturgical season, why? (Try to get them to think past the presents of Christmas, or the candy from Easter)

Close in prayer

Liturgical Colors

White

light innocence purity joy  Season of Christmas triumph  Season of Easter glory  Feasts of the Lord, other than of His passion  Feasts of Mary, the angels, and saints who were not martyrs  All Saints (1 November)  Feasts of the Apostles  Nuptial Masses  Masses for the dead ( Masses) when the deceased is a baptized child who died before the age of reason

Note: White is the color of ' non-liturgical dress. White can be replaced by Silver.

Red

the Passion blood  Feasts of the Lord's passion, Blood, and Cross fire  Feasts of the martyrs God's Love  Palm Sunday martyrdom  Pentecost

Note: Red is the color of Cardinals' non-liturgical dress

Green

the Holy Ghost life eternal  Time After Epiphany hope  Time After Pentecost

Violet

penance humility  Season of Advent melancholy  Season of  Season of Lent  (except for Pentecost Ember Days)  Vigils except for Ascension and Pentecost  Good Friday

Note: Violet, literally "amaranth red," is the color of Bishops', Archbishops', and Patriarchs' non-liturgical dress

Black

mourning sorrow  All Souls Day  Masses for the dead (Requiem Masses), except for baptized children who've died before the age of reason

Rose

joy  Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent)  (Fourth Sunday of Lent)

Gold

joy  Gold can replace white, red, or green (but not violet or black)

Extra stuff if there is time: More about fasting & abstinence

One of the precepts of the Catholic Church requires fasting & abstinence as signs of repentance. Repentance means to turn away from sin and turn back to God.

Catholic spirituality traditionally includes in repentance some form of penance. Penance means some practice that lets us express sorrow for our sins and helps repair the damage that sin has caused.

Penance gives us important practice in resisting temptation, thereby strengthening us. It greatly strengthens a number of virtues, especially charity, and it greatly enriches life.

The Catholic Church has two forms of penitential practices: fasting and abstinence. These are so important that they're one of the precepts of the Catholic Church.

Fasting is reducing the amount of food you eat below normal levels. Specifically, on fast days you eat one full meal and two smaller meals, but those two smaller together should not exceed the amount of the normal meal. Snacking is also prohibited on fast days.

All Catholics age 18 to 59 are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. You are excused from fasting if you have a legitimate need to eat a normal amount of food on fast days. This includes:

 The sick or infirm, including handicapped or mentally ill people who need the nourishment or cannot make a free choice to fast  Pregnant or nursing women  Some manual laborers

Abstinence means not eating meat (fish is not considered meat in this case). All Catholics 14 and older are required to observe abstinence on these days:

 Ash Wednesday, Good Friday (the Friday before Easter), and all Fridays in Lent.  Outside the U.S., this is required on all Fridays of the year, in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday.  In the U.S., it is still strongly recommended to observe Friday abstinence outside of Lent, but Catholics may choose to substitute another penitential practice or act of charity for these days.

Note that the duty to perform the tasks of your state in life takes precedence over the law of fasting in the precepts of the Catholic Church. If fasting honestly causes you to be unable to fulfill your required tasks, it is uncharitable to fast — the law of fasting would not apply in this case. (Consult with a priest if this is a concern to you.) Holy Days of Obligation Holy Days of Obligation

Mary, Mother of God – January 1st Mary, Mother of God – January 1st

Ascension of our Lord – Forty days after Easter Ascension of our Lord – Forty days after Easter

Assumption of Mary – August 15th – August 15th

All Saints Day – November 1st All Saints Day – November 1st

Immaculate Conception of Mary – December 8th of Mary – December 8th

Nativity of our Lord – December 25th Nativity of our Lord – December 25th

Holy Days of Obligation Holy Days of Obligation

Mary, Mother of God – January 1st Mary, Mother of God – January 1st

Ascension of our Lord – Forty days after Easter Ascension of our Lord – Forty days after Easter

Assumption of Mary – August 15th Assumption of Mary – August 15th

All Saints Day – November 1st All Saints Day – November 1st

Immaculate Conception of Mary – December 8th Immaculate Conception of Mary – December 8th

Nativity of our Lord – December 25th Nativity of our Lord – December 25th

Holy Days of Obligation Holy Days of Obligation

Mary, Mother of God – January 1st Mary, Mother of God – January 1st

Ascension of our Lord – Forty days after Easter Ascension of our Lord – Forty days after Easter

Assumption of Mary – August 15th Assumption of Mary – August 15th

All Saints Day – November 1st All Saints Day – November 1st

Immaculate Conception of Mary – December 8th Immaculate Conception of Mary – December 8th

Nativity of our Lord – December 25th Nativity of our Lord – December 25th Liturgical Year Game

Materials- large die, timer, questions cards about the liturgical year

Make a die out of a large juice carton http://mssscrafts.com/crafts/creationdice.htm and put a ? mark on some (at least 3) of the sides of the die.

Directions-

The objective of the game is to get the most points by answering questions about the liturgical year.

Set timer for a specified time. Have a player roll the die on the floor in front of the class.

If the die lands on a blank space, they do not answer a question. If the die lands on “?”, they are asked a question by the next player (or team) about the liturgical year.

If the player answers correctly, they receive a point (you can use tokens, write it on the board, etc.). If they are not correct, they do not receive a point.

Players must as many points as they can. The game is over when the timer goes off. Whoever has the most points, wins.

You can play this game individually or in teams.

For an added challenge, you can also have “Lose 1 Point” and “Take 1 Point” on one or a couple of the sides of the die. When a player rolls “Lose 1 Point”, they must lose 1 point. If a player rolls “Take 1 Point”, they may take a point from any player they choose.

There are ______seasons in The new Church year begins on the first Sunday in ______. the liturgical year.

(five) (Advent)

______prepares us for the ______is the color of celebration of Jesus’ first Advent.

coming.

(Advent) (Violet)

Advent lasts for ______weeks. ______follows Advent.

(four) (Christmas Time)

Christmas Time begins with Christmas Time lasts for ______Christmas and lasts through weeks.

______.

(Baptism of the Lord) (two)

______is the color of This feast of ______is Christmas Time. celebrated during Christmas

Time.

(white) (Epiphany)

______follows Christmas Time and Easter Time ______is the color of and it is celebrated in two parts. Ordinary Time.

(Ordinary Time) (Green)

During ______, we try to become more like Jesus through Lent begins on ______. prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

(Ash Wednesday) (Lent)

Lent continues until ______is the color of Lent. ______.

(Holy Thursday) (Violet)

The three days of the Easter ______celebrates the ______, begins at sunset on Holy central mystery of Christ, his Thursday and ends at sunset on Easter Sunday and during this time we remember triumph over death and the cross the death of Jesus and celebrate His and the resurrection. resurrection. (Triduum) (Easter Time)

______begins on Easter Sunday evening and ends on ______is the color of Easter Pentecost Sunday. Time.

(Easter Time) (White)

The rest of the year following Epiphany and Pentecost is True or False: Ordinary Time is known as ______. the second longest season.

(False) (Ordinary Time)

True or False: Ordinary Time True or False: Ordinary Time follows Christmas Time and comes from the word "ordinal," Easter Time and it is celebrated which simply means counted in two parts. time.

(True) (True)

True or False: The first season of True or False: Violet is the color

Ordinary Time begins after of Ordinary Time. Christmas Time and lasts until

the beginning of Lent. (False) (True)

True or False: The second season True or False: During Ordinary of Ordinary Time begins after Time we celebrate Ash Pentecost Sunday and ends on Wednesday.

the feast of . (True) (False)

Ordinary Time presents many opportunities to focus on the True or False: We celebrate teachings and parables of Jesus Christmas during Ordinary Time. and on the demands of being a (False) follower of ______. (Christ)

What color stands for joy? What color stands for growth?

(White) (Green)

What color stands for What is the longest Church seriousness and sorrow? season?

(Violet) (Ordinary Time)

What two seasons occur in What season comes after Marti December? Gras and ?

(Advent and Christmas) (Lent)

During what season does July 4, , and Thanksgiving What season is before Pentecost? occur?

(Ordinary Time) (Easter)

What are three Church seasons that occur during in Spring? Who does the Church season focus on? (Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time) (Jesus)

What color is used on days What color is used for the when we celebrate the passion of birthday feasts of the apostles Jesus on and and evangelists and for the Good Friday? celebrations of martyrs?

(Red) (Red)

What color recalls the Holy What color is seen everywhere in Spirit and is used on Pentecost plants and trees, symbolizes life and for the Sacrament of and hope and is used during ? Ordinary Time.

(Red) (Green)

What is the color of joy and What color is used for the feasts victory and it is used for the of Our Lord, for feasts of Mary, seasons of Easter and Christmas? the angels, and for saints who are

not martyrs?

(White) (White)

What color is used on solemn What color may be used on the feasts of Our Lord in place of Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete white? Sunday, and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday? (Gold) (Rose)

What color is used during What color is used during Lent, Advent to help us to remember the season of penance and that we are preparing for the renewal?

coming of Christ?

(Violet) (Violet)

True or False:The Precepts of the Church are the absolute How often does the church minimum actions to live the require us to go to Confession? Catholic faith. (once per year) (True)

How often does the church When are we required to attend recommend for us to go to Mass? Confession? (Every Sunday and all Holy Days (Once per month) of obligation)

How many times does the When are you required to church recommend that we receive the Eucharist? attend Mass?

(At least one more time per (During Easter) week)

When should you NOT receive How much does the church ask the Eucharist? us to tithe? (Give back to the church) (a soul not in a state of grace - with unforgiven Mortal sin) (10% - gross income)

We are asked to fast and abstain on We are asked to abstain on Ash Weed & Good Fri, what does Fridays during Lent, what does that mean? that mean? (No meat and one full meal and 2 smaller (No meat) meals that do not equal a full meal)