The End . . .<\/p>\n
The end of the year that is.\u00a0 Our liturgical year is drawing to close.\u00a0 Our secular calendar always begins a new year on January 1st.\u00a0 Our church year ends around<\/em>\u00a0the end of November.\u00a0 Why does the end of our liturgical year vary and end in November rather than January 1st?<\/p>\n Our liturgical year in the Catholic Church is determined by the two most important dates in Christianity, Christmas and Easter.\u00a0 Of course, Christmas is always December 25th.\u00a0 The first Christmas marked the beginning of a new Christian era.\u00a0 As a new beginning, the start of our liturgical year is determined by how Christmas falls in the week but Christmas itself is not the beginning of the year.\u00a0 Before we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the season of Advent as a time of preparation for the coming of Christ into the world (both his first coming that we celebrate at Christmas and his coming at the end times).\u00a0 Advent always has four Sundays counting back from Christmas, resulting in the First Sunday of Advent always falling in late November.<\/p>\n After Christmas day, we celebrate the Christmas season with Holy Family Sunday celebrated the first Sunday after Christmas.\u00a0 On January 1st we celebrate Mary’s role as Mother of God.\u00a0 On or near January 6th, we celebrate Epiphany.\u00a0 The Christmas season ends on the Baptism of the Lord.<\/p>\n Easter Sunday is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.\u00a0 The dates of Lent are then determined by counting backwards from Easter.\u00a0\u00a0 After Easter Sunday, the Easter season lasts for fifty days until Pentecost.\u00a0<\/p>\n Any part of the year not included in Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter are ordinary time.<\/p>\n All that said our liturgical year draws to a close on November 27th this year.\u00a0 As I said before Advent is a season of preparation for the coming of Christ.\u00a0 What do you need to do to get ready?<\/p>\n Peace,<\/p>\n Fr. Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The End . . . The end of the year that is.\u00a0 Our liturgical year is drawing to close.\u00a0 Our secular calendar always begins a new year on January 1st.\u00a0 Our church year ends around\u00a0the end of November.\u00a0 Why does the end of our liturgical year vary and end in November rather than January 1st? …<\/p>\n