Liturgical Year Let us begin with the sign of the Cross in Hebrew:

Liturgical YearLet us begin with the sign of the Cross in Hebrew: B'shem haAv In the name of the Father v'haBen and of the Son v'Ruach haKodesh and of the Holy Spirit Elohim echod. Amen one God, Amen. May the Holy Spirit, Ruach haKodesh, direct you as you dip into the rich well of tradition which we have as Judaeo-Catholics.

Unlike pagan religions which see time as an endless cycle, Judaeo-Christians see time as being linear. It has a beginning and will have an end.

Within Christianity's linear, "big picture“ sense of time, the passing of hours is experienced as cycles of meditations on holy things Think of a spiral – of a circle of time moving ever forward toward His Coming.

God, in His Wisdom, provided very tangible and memorable ways for the children of Israel • to pass on their faith to their children, • to ensure the continuation of the Jewish people as a nation, • and to teach them and others His ways.

to celebrate communally, • to hear and proclaim God's Word, • to relive lessons in Jewish history, • and to echo messages of hope and consolation through the generations. The feasts and holidays which punctuate the Hebrew year provide opportunities

Leviticus 23 lists seven feasts, the main holidays of the Jewish calendar. In addition, there are two other holidays commemorating victories over enemies of the Jews.

The Queen of all feasts, the Sabbath, is the culmination and high point of every week in the Jewish household. For each of these holy days there are distinctive prayers, songs, foods and activities • a multi-sensory experience • involving all members of the family.

As Judaeo-Christians, we can recognize this same teaching technique in the parables of Jesus and the Sacraments which He initiated. Bread and wine, water and oil, incense and candles, prayers and songs are all rich and integral parts of Catholic liturgy and tradition.

The Catholic "liturgical year" is made special by celebrations commemorating the lives of Jesus and His mother, the angels, and the legion of Saints who lived their faith.

Advent He is coming Nativity He comes Circumcision He follows Old Testament Law Epiphany He reveals Himself as God Holy Family He grows up in a human family Candlemas Simeon's prophecy Septuagesima We are in exile without Christ Ash Wed. Without Christ, we are dust Lent Christ is in the Desert Passion Sun. Jews make plans to kill Jesus 7 SorrowsMary's suffers at what is to come Palm Sun. He triumphantly enters Jerusalem Spy Wed. Jesus is betrayed by Judas Maundy Thu. He offers the first Holy Mass Good Friday He is put to death and fulfills Old Testament Law Holy Sa. He is in the tomb Easter He is risen Ascension He ascends into Heaven Pentecost He sends the Holy Ghost Trinity Sun. The Most Holy Trinity has been fully revealed Assumption Mary is assumed into Heaven & crowned Queen Christ the King We recognize Christ's Kingship now and forever All Saints We will triumph as have our heroic Saints All Souls We pray for those who are awaiting their triumph Last Sun. in Time Apocalypse. He will come after Pentecost to judge the world. Below are 25 Feasts and times, in chronological order, that demonstrate how the liturgical year is a reliving of the life of Christ:

Every year, aware Catholics "re-live" the Gospel, from Christ's Incarnation and Birth to His Ascension and Heavenly reign. • In Spring He enters the world by coming to rest in Mary's immaculate womb • Nine months later, in Winter, He is born, circumcised, and given a Name. • He is raised in the Holy Family, and meets His cousin, John. • He goes into the Desert and we go with Him during our Lenten Season. • Then follow His Passion and Agony, which are soon vanquished by His Resurrection, His Ascension, and the Pentecost. • Now He reigns forever, and we await His Second Coming as we prepare to celebrate again His First Coming.

The cycle begins again, like a wheel that's been spinning for two millennia.

The Catholic who is aware of this wheel is necessarily aware of Christ The Catholic who also celebrates the Feasts well and practices the traditions of the Church lives intimately with Him.

All of the Church's Feasts fall into one of the 2 main "liturgical cycles" made of 7 "liturgical seasons." Each of the Seasons has an associated mood, its own "feeling in the air," its own scents and ornaments. There is even for each Season an associated color which will be reflected in the priests' vestments and liturgical art, church decoration, and so on (though on certain Holy Days within a particular season, that Day's color will take precedence over the season's color).

Cycle I: The Christmas Cycle Season 1: Advent The liturgical year begins with this season, which lasts from the first Sunday of Advent to sundown on 24 December. The word "Advent" comes from the Latin "advenire" which means "arrival" and is our awaiting the arrival of Christ's birth at Christ's Mass (Christmas) and His Second Coming. Its mood is one of somber, penitential expectation. Its color is violet. (22 - 28 calendar days)

Cycle I: The Christmas Cycle Season 2: Christmastide This season lasts from sundown on 24 December to 13 January. It's the celebration of Christ's Incarnation, the mood is of humble, grateful, joyous celebration. Its color is white (19 days).

Cycle I: The Christmas Cycle Season 3: Time After Epiphany This season lasts from 14 January to the vigil of Septuagesima Sunday (the ninth Sunday before Easter, which is the same as 3 Sundays before Ash Wednesday). Its season's focus is Jesus' manifestation of Himself as God during His public ministry. Its color is green (4 - 38 calendar days).

Cycle 2: The Easter Cycle Season 4: Septuagesima This Season lasts from Septuagesima Sunday to Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday). Its name means "Seventy," and recalls the Babylonian Exile. It is a time of preparation for Lent (16 calendar days).

Cycle 2: The Easter Cycle Season 5: Lent This season, also called "Quadraegesima," meaning "Forty," is a somber, penitential Season lasting from Ash Wednesday to the Thursday before Easter. (46 calendar days) (Per the everyday calendar, Lent lasts 40 days + the six Sundays, but the Sundays aren't counted as "Lent" because Sundays are always about the Resurrection and are joyous.) It recalls Christ's 40 days in the desert, and the Israelites' wandering in the desert for 40 years. Its color is violet.

Cycle 2: The Easter Cycle "Passiontide" is the last two weeks of Lent, from Passion Sunday (the 5th Sunday of Lent) the day before Palm Sunday.

The last three days of Holy Week -- i.e., Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday – are called the Sacred Triduum. The second week of Passiontide is called "Holy Week."

Cycle 2: The Easter Cycle Season 6: Paschaltide (Eastertide) The Easter season lasts from the Easter Vigil to the day before Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost). (56 calendar days, not counting Easter Vigil) Because it contains the two greatest Feasts of the Church -- Easter Sunday and Pentecost -- the mood is joyous and victorious. Its color is white.

Cycle 2: The Easter Cycle Season 7: Time After Pentecost This season lasts from Trinity Sunday to the day before Advent Sunday. This Season's focus is the Holy Spirit in the Millennium, the Church Age that we now live in, and Christ's Reign as King of Kings -- the time between the Age of the Apostles and the Age to Come. Its color is green.

"Overlaid" on this grid of Seasons are two sets of dates: The Proper of Saints (also called the “Sanctoral cycle”) The Proper of Saints are Feast Days which are not movable, that is, they fall on the same date each year. Proper of Seasons (also called the “Temporal cycle”). The Proper of Seasons are those Sundays and other Feasts of the year, whose dates of celebration depend on the dates of Easter Sunday and Advent Sunday and are, therefore, movable (they change each year).

Mark the Season of Easter: First, we determine the date of Easter, which will be the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21 (even if the full moon on or after March 21 falls on a Sunday, go to the Sunday after). The Vigil of this Feast marks the beginning of Eastertide. Mark the Season of Time after Pentecost:Counting Easter as "one," count 9 Sundays forward from Easter and mark that Sunday as the beginning of Time After Pentecost. A Sunday of this Season is referred to as "(First, Second, Third, etc). Sunday after Pentecost." To determine the dates of the Proper of Seasons:

Mark the Season of Septuagesima:Counting Easter as "one," count 10 Sundays back from Easter and mark that day as the beginning of Septuagesima. The three Sundays of this Season are referred to, respectively, as Septuagesima Sunday, Sexagesima Sunday, and Quinquagesima Sunday. Mark the Season of Lent:Counting Septuagesima Sunday as "one," count 3 Sundays forward from Septuagesima Sunday, then go to the following Wednesday and mark that Wednesday as "Ash Wednesday," the beginning of Lent. A Sunday in this Season is referred to as "(First, Second, Third, etc). Sunday of Lent."

Mark the Season of Advent:Then, starting with the date of Christmas (always December 25), we count back 4 Sundays to mark Advent Sunday (if Christmas is a Sunday, don't count it; count back 4 entire Sundays so that there are 4 Sundays in Advent). This date marks the beginning of Advent. A Sunday in this Season is referred to as "(First, Second, Third, etc.) Sunday of Advent." Mark the Season of Christmas:Mark the Vigil of December 25 as the beginning of Christmastide Mark the Season of Time after Epiphany:Mark January 14 as the beginning of Time After Epiphany. A Sunday of this Season is referred to as "(Second, Third, etc.) Sunday after Epiphany." Note, the first Sunday of this Season is the "Second Sunday after Epiphany," the "after Epiphany" referring to the Feast of the Epiphany, not to the Season.

Mark the "Octaves": Octaves are 8-day periods of observance, beginning with the Feast day itself. Not all Feasts have "Octaves"; only the most important ones do. So, starting with the Feast Day itself, counting it as "one," mark 8 days of the following Feasts as "Octaves": Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Then mark the octave before Christmas Eve as "The Golden Nights."

The only things left to do are:to mark Ember Days: • the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) are the days of Advent Embertide • the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the First Sunday of Lent are known as Lenten Embertide • the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Pentecost Sunday make up Whit Embertide • the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 September).Note that these Ember Days must come a full week after the Holy Cross Day.

Now, each of the Sundays of a Season has its own "Propers" -- prayers that are specific to that day in the liturgy (the Divine Office and the Mass). Each of the Feasts in the Proper of Saints will also have its own Propers. So, because the Feasts in the Proper of Saints and the Proper of the Seasons can sometime overlap with two Feasts falling on the same day, all Feasts are ranked according to their importance. The higher ranking Feast will be the one celebrated.

Feasts fall into one of a few categories, in descending order of precedence: 1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class Commemoration When two Feasts of the same rank fall on the same day, they are ranked further by whether they relate to (in descending order of preference): Our Lord Our Lady the Holy Angels St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, St. Peter, St. Paul, the other Apostles Martyrs Other Saints

Holy Days of Obligation In addition to each Sunday, there are a handful of Holy Days of Obligation on which we must attend Mass. These Holy Days differ from country to country: Circumcision Ascension Assumption All Saints Immaculate Conception Christmas Epiphany Corpus Christi SS Peter & Paul

Liturgical Year Let us begin with the sign of the Cross in Hebrew: