Everyone knows that the year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. These 365 days are divided into 12 months and 4 climatic seasons. This is the civil calendar.

The Catholic Church, however, organizes its calendar around the events of salvation history. For this reason, it starts at Christmas time and continues until the feast of Christ the King. The apex of the liturgical year is the celebration of Easter.

We divide this calendar in liturgical cycles, or seasons, as follows:

Christmas

• The liturgical year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, beginning the cycle of Christmas.
• Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and lasts until the evening of 24th of December. It is four weeks of preparation to receive Jesus.
• On the night of December 24th, we celebrate the feast of the Birth of Jesus.
• In the Christmas season we also celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, Holy Mary Mother of God, Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus, when the cycle ends.

ORDINARY TIME I

• Ordinary time is the continuing mystery of Christ. We celebrate various events recounted in the Bible in order to draw us closer to God's love.
• The first cycle of Ordinary Time begins on the Monday after the Baptism of Jesus and ends on the eve of Ash Wednesday.
• The teaching of this first part of ordinary time is focused on proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

EASTER

• The cycle of Easter begins with Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent is composed of 40 days of reflection, repentance and conversion in preparation for the paschal mystery.
• On Holy Thursday, the church begins its Easter Triduum: Last Supper / Institution of the Eucharist, Passion of Christ and Resurrection of Christ.
• The following Sundays are also called Easter. In total there are 7.
• The Easter cycle ends at the feast of Pentecost, when we celebrate the ascension of Jesus into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

ORDINARY TIME II

• We then return to the ordinary time, which will last 34 weeks. At that time the readings ask us for hope and understanding of the Scriptures, showing God in ordinary things.
• "Ordinary Time is not wasted time. It is time to continue the work of the Church of Christ in the struggles and work for the Kingdom." (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops - Document 43, 132)
• This second phase of ordinary time is extended until the feast of Christ the King, the closing of the liturgical year.

LITURGICAL COLOURS

Each cycle of the liturgical year is represented by a different color that helps to reveal the mystery being celebrated. The church and the president of the celebration dress in accordance with the appropriate color for the time. They are:

• White: means joy, victory and purity. It is used at Easter, Christmas, Feasts of the Lord, Feasts of Our Lady and Feasts of Saints.
• Red: reminds us of Christ's blood and also the fire of the Spirit. It is used on Good Friday, Pentecost and feasts of martyrs.
• Green: symbolizes growth and hope. It is used during Ordinary Time.
• Purple: means repentance, conversion and serenity. It is used in Advent and Lent.
• Pink: represents upcoming joy. It is used on the 3rd Sunday of Advent and 4th Sunday of Lent.
• Black: represents mourning. Although rarely used today, is reserved for All Soul's Day.

READING CYCLES

In addition to the cycles described above, the liturgical year also has three cycles of readings that are repeated every three years. Each has a proper sequence for Sundays and solemn events. These are: Year A, B and C. During the year, the gospel readings are primarily taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew. During year B, they are taken from St. Mark and in year C from St. Luke. The gospel of St. John is reserved for feast days.

On weekdays of Ordinary Time the readings are different for odd and even years. And on days of solemnity, there are required readings, whatever the cycle may be.

As we can see, the liturgy is organized in a very rich way for us to follow and to understand the central mystery of our faith, salvation. The colors symbolize every season, helping the interpretation of each of their lessons. The reading cycles allow the faithful who follows the daily liturgy to have read most of the Bible in three years. And without doubt, the liturgical calendar is one of the main tools that make us ONE Holy Roman Catholic Apostolic Church.

Mariana Almeida