Seasons, Powers, & AuthorityI. The Liturgical Year : the Church Calendar

A. Advent – a semi-penitential season in preparation for Christmas: begins 4 Sundays before Christmas (Dec. 25th) and goes through the evening of the 24th of December

1. the Church inherited the Jewish reckoning of time whereby the day is considered to begin at sun-down 1.

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2. thus, the celebration of Sundays & other important feast days actually begins the evening before

– ex. Christmas Eve Mass on Dec. 24th or the Sunday Vigil on Saturday evening

B. Christmas – the celebration of the birth of Jesus: begins with 1st Vespers (Evening Prayer) of Christmas on Dec. 24th (after 4:00 p.m.) & goes through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

1. the Christmas Octave : Dec. 25th & the 7 days following , inclusive – each day is celebrated as if it were Christmas day itself !

– this is also a religious custom inherited from Jewish practice, ex. Passover or Hanukkah

2. the Feast of Epiphany : traditionally celebrated on Jan. 6th, although some bishops now transfer it to the closest Sunday, so it depends on the diocese – Epiphany celebrates 3 events :

a. the Nativity (Jesus’ birth)b. the arrival of the Magi (3 Wise Men)c. Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist

3. the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord : celebrated the Sunday after Epiphany & closes the Christmas Season

C. Ordinary Time – the weeks of the year that do not focus on a specific event in the life of Jesus, but rather on his teachings: begins the Monday after the Baptism of the Lord & lasts up to 34 weeks, but is divided into two parts

1. O.T. Part I : from the Monday after the Baptism of the Lord until Ash Wednesday – 4 to 9 weeks in length

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2. O.T. Part II : resumes the Monday after Pentecost & continues until the Saturday before the 1st Sunday of Advent

D. Lent – a penitential season in preparation for Easter: begins with Ash Wednesday & continues for six full weeks, ending the evening of Holy Saturday, for a total of 40 days (excluding Sundays)

1. Ash Wednesday : is a day of both fast & abstinence

2. all Fridays of Lent : are days of abstinence

3. Palm Sunday (of the Lord’s Passion) : the last Sunday of Lent, celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, the long Gospel narrative of the Passion is read & Holy Week begins

4. Good Friday : is also a day of both fast & abstinence

E. The Sacred Triduum (or Easter Triduum) – the last three days of Lent : Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, & Holy Saturday

1. while the Triduum is not really a season of its own , more of a sub-season , it does form the holiest three days of the entire calendar

2. Maundy Thursday : often referred to simply as “Holy Thursday” – Maundy is derived from the Latin “Mandatum” meaning mandate or command

a. traditionally, the Chrism Mass is celebrated by the bishop in his cathedral on the morning of this day – this is the only Mass allowed in the morning (i.e. – no daily morning Masses in parishes)

b. in the evening , the “Mass of the Lord’s Supper” is celebrated (in all parishes) commemorating the Last Supper in which Jesus instituted both the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders

c. the Washing of the Feet is also a part of this liturgy, remembering the “new commandment” (mandatum) of service which Christ desires of all his followers

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3. Good Friday : “Good” is used here with its Old English meaning of “Holy” – depending on the country, this day is alternately called “Holy Friday”, “Black Friday”, and in Eastern Catholic & Orthodox Churches as “Great Friday”

a. this is the only day of the year on which Mass is not celebrated (in both Western & Eastern Churches)

b. Good Friday services , commemorating the suffering & death of Christ, are usually held around 3:00 p.m. (the hour Jesus died) or later and is made up of 4 parts :

i. the reading of the Passion Narrative from the Gospel of John

ii. a series of 10 Solemn Petitions on behalf of the Church & the World

iii. the Veneration of the Cross in which all those gathered kiss the cross as a sign of devotion , gratitude, & repentance

iv. Holy Communion is received from hosts that were consecrated during the previous day’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper (because of this, the celebration is often called the “Liturgy of the Presanctified”)

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4. Holy Saturday : like Good Friday, this is a solemn , penitential day, but unlike the rest of the Triduum, there is no real prayer service or liturgy of any kind for Holy Saturday itself

a. the feeling of Holy Saturday is one of sorrow, almost emptiness, due to the realization that Jesus has died & been buried

b. the lack of any liturgy whatsoever heightens this sense of sorrow & emphasizes the emptiness , confusion , & even doubt the apostles & disciples experienced on this day

c. the sorrow & penance of Holy Saturday, and with it the Season of Lent, comes to an end as the sun sets in the evening

F. Easter – the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus: begins with the Mass of Easter Vigil after sun-down on the night of Holy Saturday and continues through the feast of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter Sunday

1. the Easter Octave : begins on Easter Sunday & continues through the following Sunday – as with the Christmas Octave, everyday is celebrated as if it were Easter Sunday itself !

a. the last day of the octave is alternately called “Octave Sunday”, “Second Sunday of Easter”, “White Sunday”, & “Low Sunday”…

b. as of the year 2000, the last day of the Easter Octave is now officially called Divine Mercy Sunday according to the decree of Pope John Paul II

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c. Christmas & Easter are the only two feasts that still retain their octaves in the current calendar

2. Feast of the Ascension : commemorating Jesus’ return to Heaven , celebrated 40 days after Easter which places it on the Thursday of the 6th Week of Easter, hence it is referred to as Ascension Thursday

– as with Epiphany, some bishops opt to transfer this feast to the following Sunday, so it depends on the diocese

3. Pentecost : is celebrated on the Sunday nine days (exclusive) after Ascension Thursday, hence Pentecost Sunday

a. Pentecost celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Mary, the 12 Apostles, (the newly appointed Matthias included) & other disciples gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem

b. because it is only after receiving the Holy Spirit that the Apostles begin to spread the faith, Pentecost is considered to be the “Birthday of the Church”

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c. the Easter Season comes to a close with the celebration of 2nd Vespers (Evening Prayer) on Pentecost evening

– the second part of Ordinary Time resumes the Monday following Pentecost & continues until the next Advent

II. Liturgical Colors

A. The Church has always made use of colors, bells, incense, statues, icons, stained-glass, etc. as physical reminders of spiritual realities – to speak to both the spiritual & physical parts of the human person

B. The following are all the approved liturgical colors for universal use:

1. Seasonal Colors : these are assigned for use within specific seasons of the Liturgical Year

a. Violet : represents sorrow, penance , and humility

i. uses: the penitential seasons of Advent & Lent – in addition to these seasons, violet is also one of the proper colors for funerals & Masses for the dead

ii. often a lighter violet is used for the less penitential Advent season and a darker purple for the more penitential season of Lent

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b. White : represents purity, joy, triumph, and glory

i. uses: the joyous seasons of Christmas & Easter – in addition to these seasons, white is also used for : Feasts of Jesus, Mary, Confessors (non-martyr saints), baptisms, 1st communions, weddings, ordinations, religious professions, and some funerals

ii. white is not a universal color for funerals except in the case baptized children under the age of reason, but bishops in some countries (the U.S. included) have received special permission to use white for other funerals as well

c. Green : represents life, growth, and hope i. uses: only the season of Ordinary Timeii. whenever a special feast of any kind is

celebrated during O.T. the color proper to the particular feast is used in place of green

2. Non-seasonal Colors : also called Proper Colors because they are used for specific (or proper) feasts throughout the Liturgical Year rather than an entire season

a. Red : represents blood, fire of the Holy Spirit, and love

– uses: red is the most used of the proper colors, it uses include: celebrations of the Lord’s Passion (Palm Sunday & Good Friday), Masses of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost & confirmations), & the Feasts of Martyrs

b. Black : represents mourning and sorrow i. uses: along with violet, black is the other

proper (universal) color for funerals & Masses for the dead

ii. black is the proper color of All Souls Day since this day commemorates all the deceased

iii. black was worn for Good Friday until the 1950’s when it was switched to red

c. Rose : represents hope within a penitential season

– uses: rose is only used on two days during the entire Liturgical Year, once in Advent & once in Lent, each time symbolizing hope in the fact that the penitential season will soon be over

a) on the 3rd Sunday of Advent – known as Gaudate Sunday

b) on the 4th Sunday of Lent – known as Laetare Sunday

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d. Gold – like white, gold represents joy, triumph, and glory i. uses: gold may be used in place of any color except violet or black , although normally it is only used to replace white on the highest and most joyous of feasts

ii. while not seen much, gold is most often used to

replace white on Christmas or Easteriii. the use of gold is completely at the

discretion of the priest celebrating Mass

e. Silver – like white, silver represents joy, triumph, & glory

i. uses: like gold , silver may be used in place of any color except violet or black , although normally it is only used to replace white on the highest and most joyous of feasts

ii. while still an option, silver is rarely seen today, its use completely at the discretion of the priest celebrating Mass

C. The following special privileges for liturgical colors have been granted by the Holy See – the diocese or office of the pope:

1. in the Philippines , blue is approved for all Marian Feasts

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2. for some dioceses in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Latin & South America, blue has been approved for use only on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

3. no other privileges have been granted for the use of any other color anywhere

a. up until the High Middle Ages (13th Cent.) there was a great variety in colors used in various regions – ex. yellow was sometimes used for feasts of Confessor Saints b. the Eastern Catholic Churches have their own customs for liturgical colors and usage

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III. Feast & Fasts

A. The term “feast” is commonly used in reference to any day that has a special

celebration different from a typical seasonal day (ferial day)– properly speaking, feast days are joyful celebrations,

but the term is also often used (improperly) to refer to penitential days

B. Types of Feast Days – there are several different types or ranks of feasts

depending on how important they are…

1. Solemnity : the highest & most important rank of feast – must always be

celebrated, some may be Holy Days of Obligation (when attendance at

Mass is required)

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– ex. of solemnities : Christmas, Easter, Immaculate Conception,

Ascension, the Patron Saint of a religious order, diocese, parish,

school, etc. – thus, St. Monica’s feast is a solemnity for us here

even though it isn’t in most places

2. Sunday : every Sunday is a Holy Day of Obligation – solemnities that

fall on a Sunday of Ordinary Time take precedence (i.e. – are celebrated

instead of the Sunday), but Sundays of Advent, Christmas, Lent, &

Easter out-rank solemnities…in which case the solemnity will be

transferred to the following Monday

3. Feast : the rank of feast is used for major saints (the “all stars” who are

known & admired universally throughout the entire Church & world) –

must be celebrated unless they fall on a Sunday – ex. of feasts : some feasts of Jesus (such as the

Transfiguration, Aug. 6th), some feasts of Mary (such as the

Birth of Mary, on Sept. 8th), the Apostles, St. Matthew, St.

Lawrence, etc.

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4. Memorial : the most common rank of feast used for the majority of

saints – must be celebrated, except on Sundays, but usually in a much

simpler, minimal way – ex. of memorials : St. Augustine, St. Theresa of

Lisieux, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, etc.

5. Optional Memorial : the observance of these is completely up to the

priest celebrating Mass, if celebrated, these are identical to regular

memorials – used for lesser known saints or saints more specific to a

particular region, country, religious order, etc.a. Blesseds are always celebrated as optional

memorials and only in the country or religious order where they

were from b. Bl. John Paul II will be an optional memorial in

Poland

6. Commemorations : any memorial or optional memorial during the

Season of Lent – observance becomes optional & if celebrated, is added

to the regular prayers of the day rather than replacing them

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C. Holy Days of Obligation – each of these feasts has the rank of Solemnity.

The number of H.D.O. will vary from one country to another since each

group of bishops can add (and sometimes, for a good reason, subtract)

H.D.O. if they so choose – in the U.S. we have six H.D.O. :

1. the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. – Dec. 8th

2. Christmas Day – Dec. 25th

3. the Feast of Mary, Mother of God – Jan. 1st

4. the Ascension (of Jesus) – Thursday, 40 days after Easter

5. the Assumption of the B.V.M. – Aug. 15th

6. All Saints’ Day – Nov. 1st

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D. Penitential Days – there should be a balance in our observance of both Feast

& Fast days – if we celebrate the feasts, but not the fasts then the feasts

actually loose their meaning and vice-versa…

1. a penitential day is comprised of any combination of the following

elements: abstinence , fasting , alms-giving , & prayer a. abstinence : is the abstaining from all meat and

meat products as a form of penance & self-discipline

i. meat is the flesh of any warm-blooded animal

ii. the flesh of cold-blooded animals is not considered

“meat” & therefore fish, etc. is permitted

iii. abstinence is required of all those who have reached

the age of 14b. fasting : is the discipline of limiting the amount

one eats i. on a fast day, one full-size meal is

allowed along with two smaller meals that combined,

do not equal the full-sized meal (no snacking!)

ii. all those between the ages of 18 to 60 are obliged to

observe fast daysc. alms-giving : is providing for the needs of the

poor – as an act of penance, this would include any work of

charity

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d. prayer : done as penance, this should be some extra form of

prayer that one does not already do on a regular basis

2. 3 types of penitential days remain in the Church today…

a. Fridays : in remembrance of the day Jesus died for us, every

Friday of the year is a day of penance (just like every Sunday is

a “little Easter”, so every Friday is a “little Good Friday”)

i. abstinence is to be observed on every Friday unless

some other form of penance is preformed (fasting,

work of charity, or prayer) ii. Friday abstinence use to be the only

form of penance allowed, but the Church

now gives us the responsibility of choosing our form

of penanceiii. if a Solemnity falls on a Friday,

abstinence/penance does not have to be observed

– if a Feast falls on a Friday, abstinence/penance

still needs to be observed, but the Feast should

be celebrated in some festive way

b. Fridays of Lent : are more serious & somber days of penance

since they are part of our more immediate preparation for Easter

i. abstinence is required – no other form of penance may

be substituted

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ii. abstinence does not have to be observed only if a

Solemnity falls on a Friday of Lentc. Ash Wednesday & Good Friday : are the most

serious days of penance in the entire year

i. both abstinence & fasting must be observed (these

are the only two official days of fasting left on the

calendar) ii. it is recommended & encouraged to

extend the Good Friday fast through Holy Saturday

until the Easter Vigil if possible, but not required

IV. Powers & Authority

A. The Catholic Church is the world’s oldest, continuously-run institution and

is today a world-wide organization of over 1 Billion members!

1. like any large institution, the Church is organized on several levels : local,

regional, national, & world

2. this organization of the Church takes place in two ways: 1) sacramentally

and 2) administratively

B. Sacramental Powers – the first way the Church is organized is by Sacramental

(Priestly) Powers that flow from the Sacrament of Holy Orders

1. Deacons : are ordained to service to assist bishops & priests and can

perform Baptisms, witness Marriages, and conduct Burial Services

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a. deacons have the power to perform only one sacrament

themselves…baptismb. to carry out their above duties, deacons have

the ability and responsibility to assist at Mass, officially

Proclaim the Gospel, be an Ordinary Minister of Holy Communion ,

& give Blessings

2. Priests : like deacons, priests really share in the bishop’s work and

ministry of proclaiming the Gospela. through ordination, priests receive the power to

perform all the sacraments except one…

b. priests do not have the power to give Holy Orders (i.e. – they

cannot ordain deacons, other priests, or bishops)

3. Bishops : possess all sacramental powers , they alone have the “Fullness

of the Priesthood” since they, as successors of the Apostles, have the

responsibility of making sure that the faith (Gospel & Sacraments) is

passed-on a. thus, the Sacrament of Holy Orders is actually

received in three steps until the Fullness of the Priesthood is

achieved as a bishop b. all those who have received any portion of Holy

Orders (anyone ordained either a deacon, priest, or bishop) is

part of the clergy– those who are not ordained at all (the

ordinary members of the Church) are part of the laity

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C. Hierarchical Authority – the Hierarchy is the administrative organization of

the Church that oversees the governance of the Church

1. while all deacons, all priests, & all bishops possess the same exact

amount of Sacramental Power according to their level within Holy

Orders, the amount of Authority they have within the Hierarchy will

vary depending on how they help to govern the Church (i.e. – depending

upon what job they have within the Church’s “government”)

2. the Pope : as the Bishop of Rome , he is the successor of Peter and the

Vicar of Christ – as such he is the Supreme Pontiff , the absolute head of

the entire Catholic Church throughout the whole worlda. as the head of the Hierarchy, the pope possess

all authority over the Church to ensure that all the Church’s

needs, both sacramentally & administratively are met

i. it is the pope’s responsibility to appoint bishops to

ensure that the sacraments are available to all

ii. the pope also makes appointments within the Hierarchy

for the governance of the Church & personally serves

as the Head-of-State for the independent nation of the

Vatican City-State

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b. in addition to being the Supreme Pontiff over the entire

Catholic Church, the pope is also the “Patriarch of the West”

(i.e. – the head bishop of the Roman Catholic Church)

3. Patriarchs : a patriarch is the head bishop in charge of an independent

Particular Church within the Universal Catholic Churcha. a Particular Church is an autonomous Church

with its own hierarchy, customs, & traditions (based on

culture, language, ethnicity, etc.) within the Universal Church

i. the Universal Catholic Church is comprised of 23

Particular Churches ii. the Roman (Western) Catholic Church is

one of these 23 Particular Churches – the other

22 Particular Churches are collectively referred

to as the “Eastern Catholic Churches”

iii. ex. of specific Eastern Catholic Churches would

include : the Ukrainian Catholic Church (Ukraine) ,

the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (India), the

Maronite Catholic Church & the Melkite Catholic

Church (both in Lebanon), the Coptic Catholic

Church (Egypt), etc.

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b. these Patriarchs are equal to the pope as the heads of Particular

Churches, but recognize & submit to the Supreme Authority of

the pope who treats them as equals (i.e. – the pope will not

normally over-rule them concerning matters within their own

particular church)– patriarchs are usually also appointed as

cardinals

4. Cardinals : serve as the pope’s closest assistants and advisors

a. since their job of advising the pope does not necessarily require

Sacramental Powers, there have been times in the Church’s

history when laymen were allowed to be cardinals

i. these days, current Church law requires cardinals to be

bishopsii. if a priest is chosen to be a cardinal, then

he will either be ordained a bishop, or he

may request special permission from the pope to remain

a priest even as a cardinal

b. the cardinals’ most important duty is the election of the pope

which they alone have the authority to do i. there can be a maximum of 120 Voting

Cardinals (i.e. – under the age of 80)

ii. there is no limit on how many cardinals there can be

who are over 80

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c. while some cardinals do live & work in Rome, others serve as

bishops in charge of dioceses, these cardinals are known as

Cardinal Archbishops – such as Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop

of Galveston-Houston

5. Archbishops : as with the pope, patriarchs, & cardinals, they have no

more Sacramental Power than any other bishopa. archbishops serve within the Hierarchy as the

Ordinaries (see def. below) of archdioceses

b. an archdiocese is a diocese with a larger population and/or is

important due to historical reasons i. Galveston-Houston is an archdiocese due

to its large population

ii. Baltimore is an archdiocese (also headed by a cardinal)

due to size & history since it was the very first diocese

created in the U.S.

6. Ordinary (Bishop) : is a bishop who serves as the head of a diocese – ex.

Bishop Farrell is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Dallas– the head bishop of a diocese is an “Ordinary”

because he possesses the ordinary authority &

responsibility of governing the diocese and of providing for its

sacramental needs

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7. Coadjutor (Bishop) : a bishop who assists & shares the duties of

governing a diocese with the Ordinary of the diocese

a. since coadjutor bishops already share the duties of governing a

diocese, they normally become the new Ordinary of the diocese

automatically upon the former bishop’s retirement or death

b. most dioceses do not have a coadjutor & if they do, they would

never have more than one c. “co-adjudicate” means to “rule with” another

8. Auxiliary (Bishop) : a bishop whose sole duty is to aid & assist an

Ordinarya. unlike coadjutors, auxiliaries do not share or

possess any authority of their own & do not become the

new Ordinary of their diocese when the former bishop retries

or diesb. a diocese may have more than one auxiliary if

needed

9. Abbot/Abbess : the head monk or nun of a monastery , considered to be

the “father “ or “mother” of the monastic community– an abbot or abbess is the Ordinary of their

monastery & thus has similar authority to that of a bishop

(authority...not Sacramental Powers), but this authority only encompasses

the monastery itself...not a diocese

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10. Monsignor : the lowest level of the Hierarchy (Church’s government),

it is an honorary title bestowed by the pope upon a priest in recognition

of extraordinary service to the Churcha. while part of the Hierarchy, the rank of

monsignor carries no real authority of any kind

b. regular priests & deacons , while part of the clergy, they are not

actually part of the Hierarchy i. their job is not to help run or administer

the Church’s government

ii. as part of the clergy, priest & deacons possess

Sacramental Powers (not authority) in order to help

fulfill the spiritual needs of the lay faithful by

providing the Sacraments