The Liturgical Cycles of the Catholic Church: Living Out Salvation History

Understanding the liturgical cycle of the Church enables one to draw more deeply into the story of salvation history, and the life of our Savior. As the seasons of the liturgical year are celebrated, the Church experiences a spiritual renewal based on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Elements of the Mass, such as the adornments of the Church, the colors used, the omission of certain words or instruments, and, most importantly, the readings, all help to celebrate this cycle, and to draw members of the Church more deeply into this mystery.

The Church observes a three-year cycle of readings for Sunday Mass and a two-year cycle for daily Mass. The Church calendar has evolved since its beginning. The early calendar was closely linked to the Jewish calendar — Jesus was a Jew, and major events in His life happened around certain Jewish holidays. However, whereas the holiest day of the Jewish week is on Saturday, the Sabbath, for Christians every Sunday commemorates the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The most current liturgical calendar was adapted and changes made in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

The sequence of seasons within the liturgical year is Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, the Paschal Triduum, Easter, Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time, whose name stems from the Latin word ordinalis, is so named because it consists of numbered weeks. It is broken up into two parts: Epiphany to Ash Wednesday, and the day after Pentecost until the start of Advent.

Advent begins with the fourth Sunday before Christmas and, like Lent, is marked by purple adornments. The use of the same color for both seasons reflects that they are each somber and penitential seasons, as the Church is called to repent of sins so that we are holier people when the feast day arrives.

Both Advent and Lent are times of simplicity. During these seasons, certain omissions are made so that when they return they might have greater meaning. Adornments are kept minimal, and during Lent, instruments are sometimes omitted. In Advent, we refrain from singing the Gloria, as it is sung by the choir of angels when Jesus is born. Throughout the season of Lent, the word “Alleluia” is omitted from the Mass.

The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday. For the occasion, the priests’ vestments are changed from purple to rose. The word “gaudete” means “rejoice.”

“If you add white paint to violet, it becomes rose,” Fr. Jerry says. “Gaudete Sunday focuses on the inner conversion as we get closer to the bright light of Christ which comes on Christmas.”

The color rose is also used to break up the violet of Lent when it is worn on the fourth Sunday of Lent, again symbolizing that we are getting closer to the brightness of Christ.

The specific date of Easter varies from year to year. The Farmers’ Almanac says, “According to a Fourth Century ruling, the date of Easter is set for the first Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon, which is the first full moon of spring, occurring on or shortly after the vernal equinox, or spring equinox.”

Eastertide encompasses the 50 days which bring us from Easter to Pentecost. Like Christmas, Eastertide is signified in part by white garments and adornments. White is also used on other solemn occasions throughout the liturgical year.

Red, which may symbolize fire or blood, is used at Pentecost, Good Friday, and on the feast days of saints who shed their blood. Green symbolizes growth and is the color used for Ordinary Time.

“It’s always important for any of us to know what we’re doing and the meaning behind the symbols,” he says. “It’s important to question and to find out answers.”

Fr. Jerry’s recommendations for learning more about our liturgical cycles include the USCCB website at www.usccb.org, and FORMED.org, a free website with lots of Catholic content. Resources are also available in the church library.