The Meaning of the Liturgical Year Every religion has its own calendar. The Christian calendar is known as the Liturgical Year.
REMEMBER! The Liturgical Year (also called the Church Year) is the way in which Christians recall and celebrate the key events in the life of Jesus Christ at different times during the year.
The Liturgical Year does three things:
ò It commemorates the important events in the life of Jesus Christ in the past.
ò It celebrates the mystery of Jesus Christ living in his Church in the present.
ò It prepares Christians for the return of Jesus Christ in the future.
All through the Liturgical Year, special place is given to Sunday. Sunday is the first day of the Christian week. It is also called the Lord’s Day.
The Structure of the Liturgical Year The Liturgical Year is divided into seasons.
The seasons of the Liturgical Year followed by Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans are:
ò Advent – A time of preparation for Christmas.
ò Christmas – The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
ò Ordinary Time – A time to reflect on Jesus’s message about the Kingdom of God.
ò Lent – A time of preparation for Easter. ò Easter – The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The secular calendar begins on 1 January. However, the Liturgical Year begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas with the season of Advent.
REMEMBER! A season is a specific length of time. Each season contains times of religious significance.
The Orthodox tradition celebrates the festivals of Christmas and Easter about thirteen days after other Christians. This is because the Orthodox tradition uses the older Julian calendar, whereas the rest of Christianity follows the Gregorian calendar.
