Advent. However, a separate celebration of the Four other feasts of the Lord are observed only the mystery of Christ himself. Pope John Paul II Annunciation was known in Rome in the second in the West: Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after is now famous for having beatified and canonised half of the r century. Marian devotion caused Pentecost), Corpus Christi (the Thursday or more Christian examples of holiness than all his INFORM a change in its title to "the Annunciation of the Sunday after Trinity), the Sacred Heart of Jesus predecessors combined, so the Church finds itself Blessed Virgin Mary", but in the Church's calendar (the Friday following Corpus Christi Sunday), and once again with an ever-expanding Sanctoral faith & life matters reform of 1969 the feast regained its original title. Christ the King (last Sunday of the liturgical year). Cycle. The feast is celebrated on the 25'h March, nine Rather than recalling events in the life of Christ and months before the birth of Christ. the Church, these feasts focus on mysteries of the Alpha and Omega, faith: the triune nature of God, the Eucharist, the beginning and end Ordinary Time: saving love of Christ, and his universal kingship. not so ordinary But if all this calendar development says anything, And then the saints it is this: the Church is alive, constantly growing The weeks outside the seasons of Advent and come marching in! in its understanding of the truths of the Faith (as Christmas, Lent and Easter, are named in Latin evidenced in the expansion of the Temporal Cycle) per annum, or "through the year". It is commonly The first saints to be commemorated by the and constantly renewing itself by producing more known as "Ordinary Time", which is unfortunate Church were the martyrs. Keeping the ancient and more models of Christian holiness (as seen in since it is anything but ordinary. family customs connected with death, except our multitude of feasts of the Sanctoral Cycle). any that were incompatible with their faith, the While the other seasons of the liturgical year The Church's categories of celebrations — from the early Christians gathered at the martyrs' tombs commemorate events in the life of Christ, Ordinary greatest solemnities like Easter and Christmas, on certain days to pray. Originally they, like their Time presents us with Jesus' deeds and teachings to the lesser feasts like the Presentation and ancestors, brought food and drink and shared a during his public ministry. During this season, funeral meal in memory of the dead; this grew into Transfiguration, to the stream of memorials of the Catholics grow in their understanding of the saints, both obligatory and optional — tells us that the tradition of celebrating the Eucharist on or near Christian life; thus the liturgical colour is green, the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ only the tombs. The day of death was chosen as the reminding us of growth. reflects the eternal, day-in and day-out nature of "birthday" of the martyr into eternal life. her Founder. Ordinary Time has 34 weeks, beginning after the The end of the age of persecution in 313 AD Baptism of Christ and going up to Advent. It is Advent ties our Church time together: it is both a presented a problem: how could Christians reach interrupted by Lent and Easter Time. looking backward to Christ's historical birth 2000 the heights of holiness, now that they no longer years ago, and a looking forward to his coming had the opportunity to shed their blood for Christ? again at the end of historical time. And that, in a Feasts of the Lord in The life of ascetics — hermits, monks and virgins nutshell, is the story of the Church's year. As the — became a new form of martyrdom or "witness" to Ordinary Time priest solemnly intones while marking the Paschal Christ, and when these stalwarts died, they often Candle: Both Eastern and Western Churches celebrate received the liturgical honours once reserved to in common three feasts of the Lord: the those who died for Christ. Christ yesterday and today, Transfiguration, the Triumph of the Cross, and the the beginning and the end, Dedication of the Church. Bishops and those who suffered, but did not die, for Christ were likewise given honours after Alpha and Omega; According to one ancient tradition, the death, once persecution abated. As time went all time belongs to him, Transfiguration of Jesus took place 40 days on, various other categories of "saints" — meaning and all the ages; before his crucifixion. Thus this feast on the 6th "holy ones" — were added to local calendars, with August takes place 40 days before the feast of the Church eventually assigning dates to these to him be glory and power, the Triumph of the Cross on the 14th September. celebrations. Religious founders, missionaries, through every age for ever. Historically, the feast of the Transfiguration began doctors (teachers and writers of the Faith), priests, Amen. as a commemoration of the dedication of the great deacons and married and single laity all found a church on Mount Tabor, where Jesus appeared place in the Church year. in glory to Peter, James and John. The Triumph Questions for discussion of the Cross recalls both St Helen's finding of the We can't fail to mention the development of the 1. What struck you most in reading this article? remains of the True Cross on Mount Calvary, and Church's understanding of Mary's role in the life the recovery of the precious relics of the Cross in of Christ and his followers. From her original feast 2. The early Christians "could not live" without 630 AD, after having been captured by the Persians of the 1h January, a variety of other celebrations celebrating the Lord's day. What can we do to 111 1 and kept by them for 16 years. of Mary have come down to us: her Immaculate restore the importance of Sunday in the minds Conception, Birth, Presentation, Visitation, of Catholics, beginning in our own families? The Feast of the Dedication reminds us of the Sorrows, Assumption and Queenship — among 41)/00 6 Jewish feast of Hanukkah or Dedication (Jn 10:22), others. 3. Which feast days do you most look forward to? when the Temple of Jerusalem was reconsecrated What is special about them for you? after the victory of the Maccabees over the There have been several attempts down the A A Syrians in 165 BC. The Church adopted this centuries to "reform" the calendar by removing 4. The article says that the gradual development 11 feast to commemorate on the 13'h September the saints who have only a limited or localised appeal, of the calendar shows how the Church is alive, dedication of the twin basilicas of the Martyrium only to be swamped by new examples of holiness. constantly growing in its understanding of the and the Anastasis (Martyrdom and Resurrection) For example, the Council of Trent swept away a Faith and in producing new models of holiness. Do you find it easy to think of the Church in this One Day at a Time. on Mount Calvary. By the 11th century, the feast plethora of saints' days, reducing them to less than way? was transferred to the 9'" November to recall the 200. But by 1900 there were 145 more added. In LENS dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the official seat 1969, the reforms of Vatican Council II saw another of the Bishop of Rome, as a celebration of the unity "culling", reducing the number of saints' days to Fr Timothy Deeter is the Director of the Liturgy of the Church around Peter's successor. less than 180 in order to focus more clearly on Office of the Archdiocese of Sydney. THE CHURCH YEAR Published six times a year, INfORM is available from: INFORM - 50c per copy (minimum order: 10 copies per Catholic Adult Education Centre, Sydney issue) Single subscription $10 per year within Australia, 6 Locked Bag 888 Silverwater DC NSW 1811 issues annually, or with the newsletter of the Catholic Adult Many Catholics have only a general understanding of such seasons as Advent and Lent, Christmas Tel (02) 9643 3660 Fax: (02) 9643 3669 Education Centre $15 per year. Single copy of every back and Easter. In this article Fr Timothy Deeter explains the meaning of the different seasons and Email: [email protected] C AI HOLIC issue of INFORM still in print - $40 per set. ADULT EDUCATION CENTRE feast days, and how the Church calendar developed over time. Published with ecclesiastical approval .02007 CAEC • EDITOR: Fr John Flader • LAYOUT: Francis Flores Talking about calendars Anulinus: 'We must celebrate the Lords day! It Sunday of the Easter season, itself is "the octave is a law for us: A church reader named Emeritus of octaves," an octave being Judaism's traditional As early as 386 AD this feast was celebrated in Jerusalem as "the meeting of our great God and When we think of the calendar, it is the civil year agreed: "Yes, it was in my house that we celebrated eight-day period of celebrating a great holy day. Beginning with the Easter Triduum as its source of light, Saviour Jesus Christ with Simeon the Just when that usually comes to mind: January through the Lord's day. We cannot live without celebrating Since the ancients regarded seven as a perfect whole liturgical the latter took him in his arms.' A procession with December, with New Year's Day at the start. the Lord's day!" And the young maiden Victoria the new age of the Resurrection fills the number, and the Easter season is made up of seven candles was added around 450 AD, to dramatise proudly added, "I attended the meeting because I weeks of seven days each, Pentecost Sunday year with its brilliance.