A Prayer for Advent:
Lord Jesus, light of the world, come and make us your messengers. Maranatha (Come, Lord!)
Lord Jesus, giver of the Holy Spirit, come and fill your people with love. Maranatha
Lord Jesus, conqueror of darkness and sin, come and shine your light upon us. Maranatha
Lord Jesus, joy of the nations, come and make us joyful in faith and hope. Maranatha
Lord Jesus, prince of peace, come and free us from fear and hatred. Maranatha
Lord Jesus, source of endless life, come and unite all people in God’s kingdom. Maranatha
Lord Jesus, good news of salvation, come and keep us safe in your love. Maranatha
Lord Jesus, enthroned in glory, come and keep us watchful in prayer. Maranatha
(Blessings and Prayers for Home and Family, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops)
FAQ…. What is the Liturgical Year?
The Liturgical Year
- The liturgical year begins in late November with Advent, the time of waiting for the birth of Jesus and for the second coming of Christ. Advent lasts until Christmas Eve.
- The Christmas season, in which we celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ, goes from Christmas Eve until Epiphany (when the three kings visited the baby Jesus). The Epiphany season is only a week, from Epiphany until the next Sunday, the Baptism of the Lord. In the current Catholic calendar, the season of Epiphany has been folded into the Christmas season.
- Then we begin Ordinary Time. Ordinary does NOT mean boring or not special. It means counted out, by ordinal numbers, because the weeks are numbered: First Sunday of Ordinary Time, Second Sunday, etc. During these weeks, we trace the life of Jesus as he went about gathering disciples, teaching and ministering.
- Lent interrupts Ordinary Time, beginning with Ash Wednesday and running until sundown on Holy Thursday. It’s a time of intense reflection and repentance, to prepare us for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery. On the last Sunday of Lent we celebrate Palm / Passion Sunday: we recall Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and then his arrest, torture and death.
- The next three days, beginning with the night of Holy Thursday, are the Triduum, the three holy days when we remember, relive, and make present the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: Holy Thursday (the Last Supper), Good Friday (the passion and death of Jesus), and the Easter Vigil (the Resurrection) on Saturday night.
- Then we’re in the Easter season until Pentecost, when we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church.
- After Pentecost, it is Ordinary Time again until the new year begins in Advent. The final Sunday of the liturgical year is the Feast of Christ the King.
Liturgical Colors
- Purple (violet, technically) signifies penitence and humility. It is used during Advent and Lent, although Advent often uses a bluer purple than Lent, because the Advent season is less penitential and more focused on preparation.
- Rose can be used on the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete (“rejoice!”) Sunday) and the fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare (“be joyful!”) Sunday). It signifies joyful expectation, and the reading son both of these days are a bit ‘lighter,’ with a focus on joy and promise.
- White is used to signify light, innocence, joy and glory. It is used during the Christmas and Easter seasons, for feasts of the Lord (like Christ the King or Holy Trinity), for feasts of Mary, and for All Saints. It is also used for weddings and funerals (no, black is NOT the color of funerals! We believe that in the Resurrection Christ has overcome death, and so we focus on that joyful and glorious good news.)
- Gold can be used to substitute for white, and is sometimes used on big feast days like All Saints.
- Red signifies passion, blood and martyrdom. It also signifies fire and the Holy Spirit. It is used on feasts of the Lord’s passion, like Palm Sunday and Good Friday, feasts of the martyrs, masses devoted to the Holy Spirit, and Pentecost.
- Finally, green signifies hope and eternal life, and is the color we use during Ordinary Time.
FAQ… What is the Immaculate Conception?
· This dogma states that Mary, from the first moment of her conception, was preserved from Original Sin. It is often confused with the virginal birth of Jesus. (If you ever go to the play, “Late Night Catechism,” DO NOT make this mistake when Sister calls on you. It’s embarrassing.)
· The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was actually a fairly contested belief for a long time in the Church. Those opposed to it pointed out that if Mary had no Original Sin, then she didn’t need the redemptive work of Christ, and so redemption was not universal. However, her freedom from Original Sin is understood to be the redeeming action of Christ, a one time special exercise of the perfect Redeemer’s power to overcome all sin, even Original Sin.
· The idea first emerged in the Church in the East in the late 7th century, but was unknown in the Western Church until the 11th century, where it was taken up—both for and against—by the leading theologians of the middle ages. St. Bernard was against it, Duns Scotus was for it, Thomas Aquinas was against it, and so forth. However, devotion to Mary and her exaltation grew through the centuries, especially in popular devotions. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception was approved in 1476, but was not binding on the whole Church and therefore not observed universally.
· Devotion to Mary was fueled even more by a series of apparitions in the 19th century; in one of these in 1830, Catherine Labouré had a vision of the Immaculate Conception, which led to the creation of the Miraculous Medal and increased interest in and questions about the doctrine. Pope Pius IX initiated a consultation with 603 bishops about it in 1846, and in 1854 declared the Immaculate Conception an infallible teaching of the Catholic Church.
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Karen Soos
Associate Chaplain and Catholic Campus Minister
Davidson College
Campus Box 7196
Davidson NC 28035
704. 894. 2423
Associate Chaplain and Catholic Campus Minister
Davidson College
Campus Box 7196
Davidson NC 28035
704. 894. 2423
