Sunday’s Readings: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 25:14-30 OR 25:14-15, 19-21
From the Pastor’s Desk
Our Adult Education, OCIA, class this week will be on The Seasons of The Church year. We will explore how the Seasons of Nature compliment The Seasons of our Lives and how the Seasons of The Church complement both. We will also address their origin, evolution and current observations.
The Catholic liturgical calendar is the framework that organizes the Church worship throughout the year. Rather than following the January-to-December civil calendar, the Church marks time through a cycle of seasons that unfold the mysteries of Christ’s life — from His coming in Advent, through His birth at Christmas, His public ministry in Ordinary Time, His suffering and death in Lent, His resurrection at Easter, and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This calendar shapes not only what happens at Mass each Sunday but the prayer, fasting, and feasting of Catholic life.
Although we will cover many different facets of the Seasons of the Church year in class, I do want to focus on one now: Color. As you attend Mass throughout the year you notice a variety of different colors, both in the Arts and Environment and in the Vestments the Priest and Deacon wear.
Liturgical Colors and Their Meanings
This is something that our young are always interested in. Why all the different colors? And do I get to choose what color I want to wear? The color of the priest’s vestments, the altar cloths, and other liturgical furnishings changes with the season and the feast being celebrated. These colors are not decorative — they are a “visual catechesis”, teaching the faithful about the character of the day or season at-a-glance. Here is said glance.
Purple (Violet): Advent and Lent. Signifies
penance, preparation, and mourning.
Also used for funeral Masses in some
places.
White (or Gold): Christmas, Easter, feasts of the
Lord (except of his Passion), feasts of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, feasts of saints who
were not martyrs, and weddings.
Signifies joy, purity, and glory.
Green: Ordinary Time. Symbolizes hope, life,
and growth in the Christian journey.
Red: Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost,
feasts of the apostles, and feasts of
martyrs. Represents the Holy Spirit (fire)
and the blood shed by martyrs.
Rose: Used only twice a year: the Third Sunday
of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) and the
Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday).
Signifies a brief pause of joy amid
penitential seasons.
Black: May be used at funeral Masses and on
All Souls Day (November 2). Signifies
mourning and the sorrow of death. Its
use is optional; purple or white may be
used instead.
There is so much more of which we will speak about the Seasons of the Church and the Blessing they are to us,
Class is on Tuesday, November 17th
at 7pm in Church.
As always, ALL ARE WELCOME.
Fr. Ron
