The Liturgical Year | Te Whakaritenga ? Tau

The Sunday readings in Advent reflect these themes of waiting, longing and hope for the coming of Jesus. The readings of the First Sunday of Advent look forward to the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of time. On the Second and Third Sundays the readings are about the role of John the Baptist who came to \'prepare the way of the Lord\'. On the Fourth Sunday of Advent the Gospel is about the events which lead up to and follow the birth of Jesus.

The liturgical colour worn of Advent is purple but it is a time of joyful preparation rather than being a penitential season. Purple was once the colour of royalty and it is used in Advent to signify the coming of Christ and his kingdom.

Advent Symbols

The Advent wreath has four candles to mark the waiting period before Christmas. One additional candle is lit each week, reminding us that Jesus comes to bring light to the world.
The Jesse tree is a branch or small tree which refers to Isaiah 11:1: \"A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots\". The decoration of the tree with symbols during Advent records the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, beginning with Adam and Eve.

The Octave of Christmas begins on Christmas Day and extends until the solemnity of Mary Mother of God on ?1 January. There are some major feasts during the octave:

• 26 December is the feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr;
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• 27 December is the feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist;
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• 28 December is the feast of the Holy Innocents;
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• Sunday within the octave is the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary,and Joseph. This is celebrated on 30 December if there is no Sunday in the octave.
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The season of Christmas extends from the vigil on Christmas Eve to the Monday after the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord. In New Zealand the Epiphany is celebrated on the Sunday closest to 6 January, and the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday after the Epiphany. The Epiphany commemorates the visit of the three wise men to Jesus, and symbolises his recognition by all nations and peoples as foretold in the scriptures. It is the end point of the traditional \'Twelve Days of Christmas\'. The liturgical colour of the Christmas season is white, which symbolises light and the joyfulness of the season.

Lent lasts for forty days, which commemorates the forty days Jesus spent in the desert, and the forty years the Israelites spent in the desert. (The six Sundays of Lent are not included in the calculation of the forty days.)
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving or good works are the traditional activities of Lent. During this time we reflect on the salvation won for us by Jesus Christ through his suffering, death and resurrection, and on the events which led up to his death. Lent is a time for self-examination and repentance, as we strive to conform our lives more closely to Christ.

During Lent the final preparation of the catechumens intensifies, marked by events in the liturgy, as they prepare for their baptism and/or reception into the Church at Easter.

The last week of Lent is called Holy Week, and is the most sacred week of the Church�s year. It begins on the sixth Sunday of Lent, Passion (Palm) Sunday, which commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, welcomed by people waving palms and acclaiming him as the Messiah.

In the first part of Holy Week, usually on the Wednesday evening, the Chrism Mass takes place. During this Mass the oil of catechumens, the oil of the sick, and the oil of chrism are blessed by the bishop, and taken from the Mass to all the parishes of the diocese. The priests of the diocese renew their commitment of service during the Chrism Mass and the congregation prays for them.�

The beginning of the Mass of the Lord�s Supper on Holy Thursday evening marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the Easter Triduum.

The liturgical colours of Lent are violet or purple.

Easter Sunday, and therefore the Triduum, varies in date from year to year. The Council of Nicea in 325AD decreed that the day of Easter is to be celebrated on the Sunday that follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox, the day in Spring when there is a 12 hour day and a 12 hour night (March 20). This means that Easter can be as early as 22 March and as late as 25 April.

The liturgical colour of Easter is white.

The fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated in joyful exultation as one feast day, or better as one \'great Sunday\'. These above all others are the days for the singing of the Alleluia.

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�The Sundays of this season rank as the Sundays of Easter and, after Easter Sunday itself, are called the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Sundays of Easter. The period of fifty sacred days ends on Pentecost Sunday.�
The first eight days of the season of Easter make up the octave of Easter and are celebrated as solemnities of the Lord.
On the fortieth day after Easter the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated, except in places where, not being a holy day of obligation, it has been transferred to the Seventh Sunday of Easter.
The weekdays after the Ascension of the Lord until the Saturday before Pentecost inclusive are a preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.�

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Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship, General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, n22-26

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The Easter season begins on the evening of Easter Sunday and continues for fifty days, ending on the evening of Pentecost Sunday. The eight days following Easter are observed as the Octave of Easter and each day has the same solemnity as a Sunday. If another solemnity falls during the octave it is transferred to the following Monday.
The fifty days between Easter and Pentecost are a time of joy and thanksgiving for what Christ has done for humanity. The paschal candle is in a prominent place in the sanctuary of the church and is lit for all liturgical celebrations.

In New Zealand the Ascension is celebrated on the Seventh Sunday after Easter. The feast of the Ascension commemorates the ascension of Jesus into heaven after his resurrection.
One week after the Ascension, on the 50th day after Easter, the feast of Pentecost is celebrated. Pentecost commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, which empowered them to go out and begin spreading the Gospel. On Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the founding of the Church (sometimes called �the birthday of the Church�) and the beginning of its mission to all peoples.
The liturgical colour of most of the Easter season is white. The liturgical colour for Pentecost is red, which symbolises the Holy Spirit and the tongues of fire which appeared above the heads of the apostles when they received the Holy Spirit.

The second period of Ordinary Time runs like a great river through the middle of each year, carrying us through the winter and spring months. During the 33 or 34 weeks of Ordinary Time the Gospel readings lead us to reflect upon the life and ministry of Jesus and their application for our lives and spiritual growth.

The name \"Ordinary Time\' refers to the numbering of the weeks. It comes from the Latin \'ordinalis\' meaning \'counted time\'.

Major feast days which occur during Ordinary Time include the Holy Trinity, the Body and Blood of Christ, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saints Peter and Paul, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the patronal feast of Aotearoa New Zealand), All Saints, All Souls, and the Feast of Christ the King which is the final Sunday in Ordinary Time and the last Sunday of the liturgical year.

The liturgical colour worn in Ordinary Time is green, although other colours may be worn on the various feasts.