LITURGICAL

CYCLE
LITURGY celebrates over the course of
the year the most important events in
Christian salvation history.
With one important difference, however: All
time is God’s time.
“Memories” of Jesus’ life and teaching are
simultaneously encounters with the living
God.
LITURGICAL YEAR
The liturgical year, or the Church year,
superimposes the mysteries of the life of Christ
—from his Incarnation to his second coming in
glory—on the normal course of the year.
The liturgical year begins with Advent, the time
of waiting for the Lord, and has its first high point
in the Christmas season and its second, even
greater climax in the celebration of the
redemptive suffering, death, and Resurrection of
Christ at Easter.
LITURGICAL YEAR
The Easter season ends with the Solemnity of
Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the
→ CHURCH.
Pentecost – the birth of the Church

The liturgical year is repeatedly interrupted by

feasts of Mary and the saints, in which the
Church praises God’s grace, which has led
mankind to salvation.
 LITURGICAL SEASONS

ADVENT

EASTER CHRISTMAS

ORDINARY
LENT
TIME
  Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, "ad-venire" in Latin or
"to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays)
leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

 The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds
to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the
Lord’s birth on Christmas.

ADVENT
SEASON  The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, focus
particularly on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord
(Christmas).

 Advent devotions including the Advent wreath, remind us of the meaning of

the season. 

Violet vestment and Rose Pink (Gaudete Sunday)

  Christmas is one of the most important days of the Church
year, second only to Easter itself.

 It is the feast of the incarnation, the feast of God becoming

CHRISTMAS flesh (the Latin "in carne" means "enfleshment").
SEASON
It is a uniquely Christian teaching, the Divine choosing to
become one of us. Because of this belief, God is not only
Transcendent, but also wholly Immanent, Emmanuel (God-
with-us).
  The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil
Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the
Baptism of the Lord.

CHRISTMAS  During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our
SEASON world and into our hearts and reflect on the gift of salvation that
is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for
us.

White Vestment is used

 Ordinary Time is divided into two sections (one span of 4-8
weeks after Christmas Time and another lasting about six
months after Easter Time), wherein the faithful consider the
ORDINARY fullness of Jesus' teachings and works among his people.

TIME
The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time, on the other hand,
take us through the life of Christ. This is the time of conversion.
This is living the life of Christ.
 Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in
which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more
deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ.
ORDINARY
TIME The goal, toward which all of history is directed, is
represented by the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, the
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
  Begins on Ash Wednesday.
 Lent is a 40 day period of preparation for Easter.
 It is a period of penance and spiritual renewal in
LENTEN anticipation of the greatest feast of the year, which is
SEASON Easter.
 Lent ends with Holy week…Holy Thursday and Holy
Friday.
 Violet vestments are used for the seasonal mass.
 During Lent, we are asked to devote ourselves to
LENTEN seeking the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture, to
SEASON service by giving alms, and to practice self-control
through fasting.
  The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the
evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though
chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us
the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery.

 The single celebration of the Triduum marks the end of the Lenten
EASTER season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the
TRIDUUM Easter Vigil.

The liturgical services that take place during the Triduum are:
Mass of the Lord's Supper
Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord
  Easter Season begins at Holy Saturday
evening with the great Easter vigil and lasts for
fifty days, ending with the feast of Pentecost.

EASTER  This season commemorates the risen Lord and

the founding of the Church.
SEASON
 White vestments are used for the seasonal
masses, except for Pentecost, when red is
used to commemorate the tongues of fire by
which the Holy Spirit manifested Himself.
 D AY O R S E A S O N   D AT E ( S )  THEME(S) MEANING OF  COLOR
COLORS

  From four Sundays Waiting expectation; hope; Purple (or sometimes blue)  
before the longing; joy for solemnity and royalty;
Advent Christmas Day to pink for joy on third Sunday Purple
Christmas Eve

Twelve days from Birth of Jesus; Word White and gold for White
December 25 to Incarnate; Celebration; Joy; Celebration, light purity
Christmas January 5 Light; Salvation

  The “epiphany”
LITURGICAL  Epiphany January 6
(manifestation) of Jesus as
White and gold for joy and White
CHART the Son of God; the visit of
the Magi; joy. Sometimes the celebration
baptism of Jesus is
celebrated here.

Ordinary Time January 7 to the day “Ordinary time” describes the Green for life and growth
before Ash Christian year when there is
Wednesday no unusual focus   Green

  The Wednesday  Penitence; mere Black or gray for sinfulness

seven weeks before humanness; sin; our need and death; purple for
Ash Wed. Easter for savior; mortality penitence and solemnity Purple
 D AY O R S E A S O N   D AT E ( S )  THEME(S) MEANING OF  COLOR
COLORS

The 40 weekdays Penitence; solemnness;

before Easter; not spiritual focus; self-denial;
Lent Purple for penitence and Purple
counting Sundays, preparation for Easter.
solemnity
includes Holy Week

The week before

Easter (including Preparation for Easter;
Holy Week remembering the last week of Red for passion and the Red
Palm Sunday,
blood of Christ
Maundy Thursday, Jesus’ life; the death of Jesus
LITURGICAL and Good Friday
CHART
Palm Sunday The Sunday of the Jesus’ triumphal entry into Red for Holy Week; Red
Holy Week Jerusalem; Jesus as king sometimes gold or white or
purple (for royalty)

Remembering the “new

commandment” to love one
The Thursday before Solemn mandate and White
Maundy Thursday another (mandatum novum) in
Easter institution of the Eucharist
Latin, from which we get
“Maundy”)
 D AY O R S E A S O N   D AT E ( S )  THEME(S) MEANING OF  COLOR
COLORS

Good Friday The Friday before Remembering the death of Red for passion and RED
the Easter Jesus; sorrow; confession; Christ’s sacrifice
anticipation
 
Remembering Christ’s
resurrection and its
Easter Sunday Resurrection implications. White for Easter White
Sunday

LITURGICAL
CHART Pentecost
The seventh The outpouring of the Holy
Red (for power)  Red
Sunday after Spirit; the birth of the
Easter church; God’s power  
 
Growth in Christ; can  
include special celebration
Ordinary Time After Pentecost to such as Trinity Sunday, Green (for life and growth) Green
the day before Christ the King Sunday,
Advent Reformation Sunday, All
Saints Day etc.
 D AY O R   D AT E ( S )  THEME(S) MEANING OF  COLOR
SEASON COLORS

Trinity Sunday The Sunday Recognizing the White or gold White

after Pentecost presence and power
 
and majesty of the
Triune God  
 
LITURGICAL
CHART
Christ the King The last Honoring Christ as the White or gold White
Sunday before King of the present
 
Advent and the future
 
 The lectionary, the Mass readings from the
Holy Bible, follows a Sunday cycle and a
weekday cycle.

LECTIONARY
The Liturgical calendar follows a three-year
cycle, each year being represented by the letters
A, B, and C.
Year A cycle, the Gospel of Matthew is the
primary Gospel that is used for the readings.
Year B, Mark is the primary Gospel.
Year C, Luke is the primary Gospel.

The Gospel of John is proclaimed on

particular Sundays in each of the years.
On Weekdays in Ordinary Time, there is a two-year cycle numbered I and II.
Year I is read in Odd number years such as 2017, 2019, 2021.
Year II is read in even years such as 2016, 2018, 2020.

It should be noted that if a person attends the Holy Mass everyday for 3 years,
having been present for all the readings of the three cycles, most of the Holy Bible will
have been read to him during that time frame.
LITURGICAL
DAYS
  Each and every day is sanctified by the liturgical
celebrations of the People of God, especially by the
LITURGICAL Eucharistic Sacrifice and the Divine Office.
DAY  The liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight.
However, the celebration of Sunday and of Solemnities
begins already on the evening of the previous day.
(Vespers)
  Every eighth day, or on the first day of each week, which is
known as the Day of the Lord or the Lord’s Day, the Church,
by an apostolic tradition that draws its origin from the very day
of the Resurrection of Christ, celebrates the Paschal Mystery.

 Hence, Sunday must be considered the primordial feast day.

SUNDAY
Because of its special importance, the celebration of Sunday
gives way only to Solemnities and Feasts of the Lord; indeed,
the Sundays of Advent, Lent and Easter have precedence
over all Feasts of the Lord and over all Solemnities.
  They begin with the Evening Prayer I on the previous
day. Some of them have proper Vigil Mass to be said on
the evening of the preceding day, if Mass is to be said in
SOLEMNITIES the afternoon.

 On the two highest solemnities of Easter and

Christmas, the celebration is continued through eight
consecutive days. Special laws govern these octaves.
  They are celebrated within the course of the natural
day and have no First Evening Prayer.

FEASTS
But Feasts of the Lord in the general calendar which
occur on a Sunday of “Ordinary Time” take the place of
the Sunday office and acquire First Evening Prayer.
 A memorial is a simple remembrance of a saint on his or
her spiritual birthday.

While a memorial may simply recall an outstanding

MEMORIALS servant of God, when it is joined to the celebration of the
office and the Eucharist, it becomes a source of grace:
“We recall their memory by participation in the sacrament
and we progress in faith by following their example.”
 Obligatory memorials must be observed.
 Optional memorials may be observed.
TWO KINDS
OF
MEMORIALS On the Saturday of “Ordinary Time” when no obligatory
memorial is celebrated, one may celebrate as optional
memorial Office and Mass of Our Lady’s Saturday.