The Catholic Church structures its worship in a year-long schedule that allows the faithful to center their worship on Christ. It is an annual calendar that consists of six seasons: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time (after Epiphany), Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time (after Pentecost).
Advent
Advent is the first season of the liturgical year, and it’s the period of time before the Christmas Season. This four week period is a time that is meant to prepare us for the coming birth of Christ. Catholics spend their advent in times of prayer and reflection as they await the coming of Jesus at Christmas. While this celebration is focused around preparation for Christmas, it is also meant to mirror our current situation as we await and prepare for the Lord’s second coming.
Christmas
The Christmas Season celebrates the birth and newborn life of Jesus Christ. It begins on Christmas Eve and ends on the Sunday that celebrates the Baptism of the Lord, usually around 10-20 days. This season Catholics celebrate the birth of Christ into our world, and we also use this time to reflect on God’s great gift to us, his only Son. The Christmas narrative is documented in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, there you can find the complete description of the events surrounding Christ’s birth. Catholics spend this season reflecting on and celebrating these events.
Ordinary Time
The First portion of Ordinary Time runs between the Christmas season and Lent; while the second portion runs from the end of Easter until the end of the liturgical year, where it is followed by Advent at the beginning of the next liturgical year. Ordinary time is a time for maturation of the faith and growth. Even though it is a time that is not lined up specifically with the life of Christ, Ordinary Time is a period where the faithful go through the life of Christ through the gospels and focus on his life and teachings in order to grow stronger in their faith. Ordinary Time ends with the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
Lent
Lent is the 40 days before the Easter Season that Catholics use as a time to prepare to enter into the mysteries of Easter. The season of lent is centered around acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving designed to reduce our worldly reliance and unite ourselves more to Christ in preparation of Easter. There are many different customs and traditions during Lent, depending on where you are from, they may vary slightly. However, there are some traditions that are consistent across the faith, for example, abstaining from meat on Fridays and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. These acts are done to practice self-discipline and develop the virtue of prudence. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter).
Easter
Easter is the season where we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday, considered the greatest of all Sundays, is one of the most important days in the Catholic Faith. It is where we celebrate Christ’s victory of sin and death, through his Resurrection. Much like the Christmas season, Easter is not just a day, but a whole season in the liturgical calendar. The first 8 days from Easter until the Sunday after are the “octave” of Easter, which is designed to emphasize the celebration of Easter for 8 days. After that the Easter Season continues until Pentecost Sunday, making the Easter Season 50 days long. During the time Catholics celebrate Christ’s resurrection and reflect on his resurrected life on Earth, what he did and what he instructed before his ascension into heaven.
These six seasons make up the Liturgical Calendar, within these seasons there are special feast days, solemnities and various holy days of obligations that make up the full calendar. Because of the multitude of venerated Saints, some regions or nations choose to have slightly varied calendars. The 6 major seasons stay the same, but the feast days may be chosen to honor Saints more appropriate to different regions. For an example, to see the full liturgical calendar for the United States, click the link below:
