Rachel Evans
The Catholic Church follows a liturgical calendar that is made up of various seasons, each with its own significance and rituals. The liturgical year begins with the First Sunday of Advent, a season of preparation for Christmas, and ends with Pentecost Sunday, celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit. Within this liturgical year, there is also a three-year cycle of Sunday readings (Years A, B, and C) that follows a specific pattern, providing Catholics with a varied selection of readings from the Bible. This cycle is based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with the Gospel of St. John used for solemnities and during Holy Week. The current Catholic year and corresponding Gospel can be determined by checking the USCCB liturgical calendar or by performing a simple calculation with the digits of the calendar year.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current Catholic Year | Year C (as of December 1, 2024) |
| Cycle | 3-year cycle |
| Year A | Gospel of St. Matthew |
| Year B | Gospel of St. Mark |
| Year C | Gospel of St. Luke |
| Gospel of St. John | Used for solemnities and during Holy Week |
| Season of Easter | Death & Resurrection of Jesus Christ |
| Season of Christmas | Incarnation, Nativity, and Birth of Jesus Christ |
| Advent | Preparation for Christmas |
| Lent | Commemorates Christ's fasting and prayer |
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What You'll Learn
The three-year cycle of Sunday readings
The Catholic Church follows a three-year cycle of Sunday readings, also known as the liturgical year. This cycle is divided into years A, B, and C, each dedicated to a different Gospel. The liturgical year begins in Advent, typically starting on the first Sunday between November 27 and December 3.
Year A is dedicated to the Gospel of St. Matthew, Year B to the Gospel of St. Mark, and Year C to the Gospel of St. Luke. The Gospel of St. John is typically read during solemnities, Holy Week, and the Easter season. In Year B, when the Gospel of St. Mark is studied, it is often supplemented with readings from Matthew and Luke.
The three-year cycle was established after the Second Vatican Council to provide more variety to the readings and put greater emphasis on the Word of God. The goal was to give the faithful a more comprehensive knowledge of the Bible. Each Sunday during the liturgical year, four passages are read from Scripture, including one from the Psalms. The first reading is typically from the Old Testament, while the second reading is from the New Testament Letters.
To determine which year the current cycle is in, a simple method is to add the digits of the calendar year and check if the sum is divisible by three. If it is, then it is Year C. For example, in the year 2019, the sum of the digits is 12, which is divisible by three, making it Year C.
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The liturgical year
Christmas, celebrated on December 25th, is a holy day that commemorates the Incarnation, or the Word becoming flesh. The Christmas season is a joyful celebration that extends beyond Christmas Day, including the Octave of Christmas, an eight-day feast that ends with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The season concludes with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which marks the beginning of Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Time is a season of numbered weeks, counted sequentially from the First Week of Ordinary Time through the Thirty-Fourth Week. It is a period of 'Ordered Time' or the 'Season of the Year', where the focus is on the teachings and miracles of Jesus, as well as the growth of the early Church.
Easter is a moveable feast, calculated based on the lunar cycle, and it celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the central event of Christianity. The season of Easter includes an intensive eight-day celebration known as the Easter Octave, followed by a full fifty-day celebration that culminates with Pentecost Sunday, commemorating the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.
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The Season of Easter
The date of Easter varies each year, as it is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring. This tradition dates back to the Council of Nicaea in 325. In 2025, Easter will be celebrated on April 20 by both Catholic and Western Christian churches.
The Easter season lasts for 50 days, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday, and is celebrated as a single joyful feast, known as the "great Lord's Day". Each Sunday of the season is treated as a Sunday of Easter. The octave of Easter is an eight-day period stretching from the first to the second Sunday, prolonging the initial joy.
The East Syriac Rite refers to Eastertide as the Season of Resurrection. In this rite, the following feasts are celebrated during the Season of Resurrection: the Second Sunday of Resurrection, also known as "New Sunday" or "St. Thomas Sunday".
There are several Eastertide customs across the Christian world, including flowering the cross, sunrise services, the wearing of Easter bonnets by women, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, and decorating Easter eggs, which symbolize Christ emerging from the tomb.
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Advent
A popular Advent tradition is the Advent wreath, which has been used by the Catholic Church since the Middle Ages. The wreath is typically made of evergreen branches with four candles, three purple and one pink. Each Sunday, a new candle is lit, and a special Advent prayer is said. The lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding the coming of Christ into the world.
Another tradition is the Advent calendar, which helps to spiritually prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ through daily activities, prayers, and Bible verses. Some Catholics also add the "'O Antiphons' to their personal prayers during Advent. These ancient prayers, traditionally used during the last week of Advent, proclaim the coming of Christ and the fulfilment of Old Testament hopes.
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Christmas Season
The Christmas season in the Catholic Church is a time of joy and reflection, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is one of the shortest liturgical seasons but also one of the most unique. The season begins on December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, and ends on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which falls roughly three weeks later. In the United States, December 25 is always a holy day of obligation.
The Christmas season is filled with various traditions and decorations that make it unique. One tradition is the eight-day celebration of the Lord's Nativity, known as the Christmas octave, which includes several feast days with rich histories. The first feast day after Christmas, on December 26, honours St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian faith. This is followed by the feast of the apostle and evangelist St. John on December 27. The octave concludes with the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, on January 1, which is also the Church's commemoration of the World Day of Peace.
The Christmas season is also a time for gift-giving, which is a way to acknowledge God's generosity in giving us His Son. Families may also choose to keep their Nativity scenes, Advent wreaths, and Christmas trees central in their homes throughout the season. Singing Christmas carols and listening to festive music are also part of the celebrations.
The configuration of the calendar relative to the Christmas season can be complex. While the season typically ends with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, some sources refer to a "traditional" or "magnificent" celebration of "Forty Days of Christmas," which spans from "our Saviour's Birth even to the day of Our Lady's Purification." This extended season provides a simpler time to adore the Infant Jesus and reflect on the Incarnation of the Word and the raising of human nature into union with God.
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Frequently asked questions
The Catholic liturgical year is a pattern of worship and celebration that follows the life of Jesus Christ. It begins with the First Sunday of Advent, which marks the preparation for Christmas, and ends with the Season of Ordinary Time, which is a period of weeks counted by numbers.
To determine which Catholic liturgical year it is, you can refer to the USCCB liturgical calendar or calculate it manually. Each year is dedicated to a different Gospel: Year A to the Gospel of St. Matthew, Year B to the Gospel of St. Mark, and Year C to the Gospel of St. Luke. To calculate it yourself, add the digits of the calendar year. If the sum is divisible by three, it is Year C. If not, subtract that sum from the nearest number that is divisible by three. If the difference is one, it is Year A; if it is two, it is Year B.
The Catholic liturgical year includes several key dates and seasons. Here are some of the most important ones:
- Advent: A season of preparation for Christmas, beginning on the First Sunday of Advent and ending on Christmas Eve.
- Christmas: A holy day celebrating the Incarnation, Nativity, and Birth of Jesus Christ. It includes the Octave of Christmas, lasting eight days, and the Season of Christmas, which varies in length.
- Lent: A season of fasting and prayer, beginning with Ash Wednesday and lasting for 40 weekdays in remembrance of Christ's fasting in the desert.
- Holy Week: The week before Easter, beginning with Palm Sunday (also known as Passion Sunday) and including Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and ending with Easter Sunday.
- Easter: A season celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, beginning with the Easter Vigil and lasting for 50 days, including the Octave of Easter and Pentecost Sunday.
