Celebrating Liturgical Seasons
Growing by Experiencing the Feasts and Seasons of the Church Year
Ordinary Time is Anything but Ordinary
If you think of the liturgical calendar as the “circle of life”, the mystery of Christ unfolds. The significance and beauty of how Christ calls us to live our lives through him comes to light.
Ordinary Time is divided into two time periods. Following the Baptism of our Lord is the first period, which continues until Ash Wednesday. Pentecost Sunday starts the second period of Ordinary Time, the longest liturgical season, as it continues until the Advent season begins again.
In the first span of Ordinary Time we have wonderful prayer opportunities with our families. The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord is celebrated on February 2. Many display their nativities until this day. This is also the time for Candlemas (Blessing of the Candles), when parishes may have a prayer service; families bring candles to be blessed for use in their homes during the year.
The second season of Ordinary Time follows the celebration of Pentecost; the gift of the Holy Spirit moves us to do God’s work. The Spirit does for us and the Church what Jesus did for his disciples — he left them with his love, fire, and Spirit to share with the world.
Learn More: What Catholics Should Know About Ordinary Time
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The Work of Christmas | Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among all, To make music in the heart. Howard Thurman, from The Mood of Christmas, p. 23 Published and copyrighted by Friends United Press, 1985 |
Read Elouise Renich Fraser's comments on The Work of Christmas which conclude with: "I’m praying I’ll find renewed peace and hope for myself, along with you, and new ways to do the work of Christmas in this coming year."
January 18 – 25, 2025
The theme for the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was approved by the Catholic Church’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, in collaboration with the ecumenical monastic community of Bose in Italy.
The entire passage chosen for reflection is John 11:17-27, where Jesus arrives in Bethany and raises Lazarus from the dead. A part of that story is the encounter between Jesus and Martha, at the end of which Martha confesses faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. This year’s theme was chosen in recognition of the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea (325), at which the words “I believe” were chosen to anchor the Creed as an instrument of universal Christian unity. |
Sunday of the Word of God
Sunday, January 26, 2025 (Third Sunday in Ordinary Time)
“He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Lk 24:45).
The Sunday of the Word of God was instituted by Pope Francis in 2019 and is observed on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. “a Sunday given over entirely to the word of God, so as to appreciate the inexhaustible riches contained in that constant dialogue between the Lord and his people. Devoting a specific Sunday of the liturgical year to the word of God can enable the Church to experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world.” (Aperuit Illis 2)
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There are many ways to pray with scripture, including:
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St. Brigid of Ireland
February 1
St. Brigid of Ireland, also known as St. Brigid of Kildare, was an early Irish Christian nun, abbess and founder of several monasteries. Her charitable nature and faith continue to inspire many Catholics, as well as Eastern Orthodox and Celtic Orthodox Christians.
St. Brigid of Ireland is the patron saint of Ireland, dairymaids, cattle, midwives, Irish nuns, and newborn babies. Her feast day is celebrated on February 1st.
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Candlemas
February 2
Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, is a Christian holiday commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is based upon the account of the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:22–40. In accordance with Leviticus 12, a woman was to be purified by presenting a lamb as a burnt offering, and either a young pigeon or dove as sin offering, 33 days after a boy's circumcision. It falls on 2 February, which is traditionally the 40th day of and the conclusion of the Christmas–Epiphany season. While it is customary for Christians in some countries to remove their Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), those in other Christian countries historically remove them after Candlemas. On Candlemas, many Christians (especially Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Roman Catholics) also bring their candles to their local church, where they are blessed and then used for the rest of the year; for Christians, these blessed candles serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who referred to himself as the Light of the World.
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