Liturgical Year Chapter 8 Lesson 2

God is outside of time, since he created the sun, moon, and stars, which we use to measure time. God is eternal, but his creation is finite. God’s plan for salvation has occurred in time. Miraculously, God the Eternal Son, in the fullness of time, became man. This very act sanctified time, making it a means to holiness. We can imitate Christ’s life on earth and prepare for the end of time when Jesus will come again in glory.

Read The Liturgical Year on page 55. The liturgical year cycles through different seasons just like the natural year. How is the liturgical year different than the natural year?  The liturgical year parallels the life of Christ. It is based upon the central mysteries of his life.

Advent  The Church year begins with Advent, which is the preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas.  It is the celebration of the Incarnation and Nativity of our Lord.

Christmas The Christmas season begins with midnight Mass on December 24 th which celebrates the Nativity of our Savior. It ends with the feast of the Baptism of Christ.

Lent The forty days of lent represent the forty days Jesus spent in the desert preparing for his public life. Lent does not include Sundays. During Lent, the Church urges us to do penance in reparation for our sins. We can do this through fasting, self-denial, almsgiving and other good works. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with the Resurrection of Christ.

Easter Holy Week is special because we remember the events leading up to Our Lord’s Passion and death. Easter season begins on Holy Saturday with Easter Vigil Mass. The Easter Season is fifty days in length.

Liturgical Year