It's been a while . . . What Holy Days and Seasons Do Catholics Celebrate?

Sunday, the Lord's Day

The most important day in the life of the Church is Sunday, or the Lord's Day. It is the Day of the Resurrection of Jesus, and was the Day the early Church gathered to celebrate Eucharist.

The Church today continues the long tradition of gathering on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist and to thank Jesus for the blessings of our lives, and to ask the intercession of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.

To accommodate those who cannot attend a celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday due to work or other necessary obligations, Mass is also celebrated on Saturday evenings, in anticipation of the Sunday. However, the real intent of the Church is for the faithful to gather on Sunday, The Lord's Day, whenever possible.

Holy Days of Obligation

Throughout the Judeo Christian history, the recognition of the need to acknowledge special times in our lives as people of faith has been constant. The Jewish calendar celebrated many times, in addition to the Sabbath, where the community came together with special celebration. The early Church did seem to gather in the middle of the week, on Wednesdays, to encourage each other in prayer.

Gradually, the Church added special days to its calendar as well. This had the purpose of helping the faithful to recognize actions of God and special individuals of faith. It also served to give peasants and others a day off during a time when vacations and time off were not a regular part of one's life.

Today, Holy Days give the faithful time to recognize the deeper spiritual examples and truths that we may not fully appreciate. In the Church in the United States, the following Holy Days are celebrated:

January 1, Solemnity of Mary,the Mother of God / World Day of Peace

The Church begins the civil year begins with a recognition of the place of Mary's motherhood in the faith life of the Church. Coming so close to the Christmas season, this feast provides an opportunity for the Church to reflect on Mary's role in our salvation. Her "yes" to God, and to the will of God to bear God's only Son marked the beginning of our salvation. With the miraculous events of the Christmas Season still fresh in our minds, this day gives us a change to acknowledge and imitate Mary's great faith in God.

When this Holy Day occurs on a Saturday or a Monday, it remains a Holy Day but not of obligation.

Ascension Thursday (40 Days after Easter)

The end of Jesus' earthly life is marked by His Ascension into Heaven, to be at the right hand of God the Father. This celebration is one of hope for Christians, because it marks the glory that awaits us if we live as Jesus did.

In the Diocese of Burlington, the Feast of the Ascension is celebrate on Ascension Thursday, 40 days after Easter. In some areas of the United States, the celebration of the Ascension is moved to take the place of the Seventh Sunday of Easter.

August 15 - The Assumption of Mary

We believe as Catholics that God granted Mary a special favor by allowing her to be born free from Original Sin. But, we also believe that Mary was so faithful to God throughout her life that she remained free from sin. As a result, she was spared the consequences of sin, which is death. We believe that Mary was assumed into heaven.

November 1 - All Saints Day

Our great hope is that salvation is a free gift from God. We also recognize that the grace of God makes human beings capable of tremendous things. When we turn our lives over to God, we can do the wonderful things for which we were made. This celebration helps to make us conscious of what we are called to do.

When this Holy Day occurs on a Saturday or a Monday, it remains a Holy Day but not of obligation.

December 8 - The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

This feast is the patronal feast of the Church in the United States and of the Church in the Diocese of Burlington.

December 25 - Christmas

The great gift for Christians is the Son of God, Jesus, who fully took on our humanity and becoming human in every way except sin. This celebration, which for some of the world is only seen as a commercial day, is critical for Christians, because it reminds us of what our purpose in life is: to be what God has created us to be.

To that end, we recognize the need to prepare for such an event. The four weeks before Christmas we celebrate the season of Advent, where we focus on the historical coming of Jesus into history, the day to day coming of Jesus into our lives, and the ultimate coming of Jesus at the end of time.

Other Special Days

Ash Wednesday

Most major religions recognize special times where we must focus on our need for conversion, a turning to God. The Catholic Religion is no different. While conversion is an every day reality in our life, we focus especially on conversion during the season of Lent, which begins with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. The date of this celebration is determined by the date of Easter. Easter is celebrated on the First Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (the first day of Spring.) There are five Sundays to Lent, plus Palm Sunday, so Ash Wednesday is the Wednesday six weeks before Easter.

The use of blessed ashes on this day is the recognition that we are entirely dependent upon God for everything. It is a reminder of the reference in Genesis which acknowledges that we are dependent upon God. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Lent is a time when people try to heighten their awareness of God in their lives, either by taking on extra good works or by sacrificing something important to them.

Easter Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday

While the three days before Easter are not Holy Days of Obligation, they are very important days indeed. Catholics should make every effort to attend Mass on these days, because they celebrate the very core of our faith: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist. This is the heart of Catholicism.  Jesus gave the Church the Gift of Himself, so that the Church could become the Body of Christ, the great challenge given to the Church in Paul's Letter to the Corinthians. The Church pays special attention to the sacramental ministry of the Church.

On Good Friday, we celebrate the source of the Church -- the sacrifice of Jesus was the beginning of the sacramental life of the Church. The sacrifice of Jesus is our salvation. The abandonment of Jesus to the will of the Father makes a pattern for our life. God reminds us that God's ways are not our ways, and so we must abandon ourselves to God's will in our lives too.

Holy Saturday culminates in the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This day of waiting helps us to prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday

Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday, and concludes a week later on Easter Sunday, is a great week for Catholics. It includes the Easter Triduum discussed above, and with the celebration of the vigil and Easter Sunday is the acknowledgement of the great Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

It is at the Easter Vigil that we are reminded about our own faith life. We wait in vigil, beginning with a celebration of light, with a great Easter fire and candles, that remind us that Christ is our light, showing us the way to live a life of faith. We focus on the sacramental life of the Church, and welcome new members into our Church community. Adults, who have been preparing for a year or more, are received into the Church, through Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist and a Profession of Faith.

After the long period of penitential preparation of Lent, Easter is a time of great joy and celebration. We are alive in faith, recognizing the gift of the Resurrection of Jesus.

Pentecost Sunday

Easter Sunday begins a long celebration of the Easter Season. It lasts fifty days, and ends with the celebration of Pentecost, the Sunday fifty days after Easter. We wear red vestments, and it is a celebration that recalss when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles to start the Church.

Seasons

Advent

We begin the Church year with the celebration of the season of Advent. This usually begins the Weekend after the celebration of Thanksgiving.

This is a season of waiting and expectation. We focus upon the coming of Jesus into history, and the coming of Jesus at the end of time. We also focus upon the ways in which God comes into our lives each day.

The season is marked by the use of an advent wreath, with four candles. The use of a wreath, in a circle, reminds us that God is perfect, since the circle has long been a symbol of perfection. The use of an evergreen wreath is a reminder that God is always alive. The use of three purple candles remind us that the coming of Jesus into history was to save us from our sins. The use of one pink candle reminds us that this season is still one of hope, since Jesus saves us from our sins and calls us to new life.

Lent

The Season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with the Wednesday of Holy Week. This is a penitential season that focuses our attention on our need for God and the new life that God gives us in the resurrection of Jesus. During this season, which includes five Sundays, special attention is paid to taking on extra works of mercy and sacrificing to recognize and appreciate our dependence upon God.

It is also during this season that the Church formally recognizes those individuals who desire to come into the Church. This season focuses on the various parts of their entry into the Church, which will occur at the Easter Vigil.

Ordinary Time

Much of the year is much like life. We don't focus on anything special, but on the ongoing presence of God in our day to day life. While the life of Jesus included many miraculous events, he also encouraged his followers to a way of life that included such "ordinary" parts of life as being kind, loving and generous.

This time of the year helps us to recognize the need to act on the gospel during the whole year. We must allow the gospel of Jesus to permeate our whole life, all our actions, and every aspect of our being. Also, we are reminded of our need for other people of faith in our lives, and the role of faith communities in our day to day living.