Liturgical Calendar Question

[bjmiller100753]

I’m sure there is a (relatively) simple answer to my question. PLEASE do NOT attempt to answer my question if you are doing any of the following:

1. guessing
2. you THINK you “know” the answer
3. you “know” the answer but can NOT provide clear cut citation of where you are getting your “facts” from
4. you “know” the answer and you can cite where you are getting your “facts” from but your source is not a source recognized by the Catholic Church.

Thanks in advance for NOT answering if you fall into any of the 4 categories above!

My question is this. How did the Church decide the order of the Liturgical Calendar? As I was taking down the nativity set today, I wondered why Lent and Easter happen so quickly after the Christmas season. Shouldn’t Lent / Easter happen much later in the Liturgical Year since Christmas celebrates the beginning of Christ’s life and Easter celebrates his resurrection? I know this is a simplistic question and I also know there is a very good reason the Church has laid out the calendar in this way. I am NOT suggesting the Church change; I just want to understand why the Liturgical Calendar is laid out the way it is. Thank you!

 

[benedictgal]

I’m sure there is a (relatively) simple answer to my question. PLEASE do NOT attempt to answer my question if you are doing any of the following:

1. guessing
2. you THINK you “know” the answer
3. you “know” the answer but can NOT provide clear cut citation of where you are getting your “facts” from
4. you “know” the answer and you can cite where you are getting your “facts” from but your source is not a source recognized by the Catholic Church.

Thanks in advance for NOT answering if you fall into any of the 4 categories above!

My question is this. How did the Church decide the order of the Liturgical Calendar? As I was taking down the nativity set today, I wondered why Lent and Easter happen so quickly after the Christmas season. Shouldn’t Lent / Easter happen much later in the Liturgical Year since Christmas celebrates the beginning of Christ’s life and Easter celebrates his resurrection? I know this is a simplistic question and I also know there is a very good reason the Church has laid out the calendar in this way. I am NOT suggesting the Church change; I just want to understand why the Liturgical Calendar is laid out the way it is. Thank you!

Although Christmas and the other Holy Days of Obligation are assigned calendar dates, Ash Wednesday and Easter fall under the category of movable feasts. The dates for these movable feasts are dependent on the lunar cycle. According to an article called Calculating the Ecclesial Calendar (which can be found at smart.net/~mmontes/ec-cal.html):

Easter is the Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. The Paschal Full Moon may occur from March 21 through April 18, inclusive. Thus the date of Easter is from March 22 through April 25, inclusive. The date of the Paschal full moon is determined from tables, and it may differ from the date of the the actual full moon by up to two days. This definition, along with tables, etc. may be found in “The Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Ephemeris and American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac”. This definition that uses tables instead of actual observations of the full moon is useful and necessary since the the full moon may occur on different (local, not UT) dates depending where you are in the world. If the date of Easter was based on local observations, then it would be possible for different parts of the world to celebrate Easter on different dates in the same year.

I hope this helps you.

 

[bpbasilphx]

**
My question is this. How did the Church decide the order of the Liturgical Calendar? As I was taking down the nativity set today, I wondered why Lent and Easter happen so quickly after the Christmas season.**

The Western Rule for the calcuation of Easter is simple:

Easter falls on the FIRST SUNDAY after the FIRST FULL MOON after the Spring Equinox, which is always on 21 March.

If the first full moon IS on 21 March, Easter is the next day.

This means that Easter can fall as early as March 22 and as late as Aprtil 25.

(The Byzantine/Orthodox rule is a bit different, but that doesn’t concern us here.)

 

[bpbasilphx]

On a related note, Saints’ days are usually (not always) the dates of their heavenly birthdays, that is, their deaths.

 

[benedictgal]

On a related note, Saints’ days are usually (not always) the dates of their heavenly birthdays, that is, their deaths.

Actually, the Church celebrates the births of two individuals (apart from the Lord): the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. In addition, we celebrate the feasts of the conceptions of Jesus (March 25th) and the Blessed Mother (December 8th).

Furthermore, Sts. Peter and Paul get additional feasts apart from their principal celebrations. January 25th marks the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul and February 22nd is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter.

I realized that this goes beyond what the OP requested, but, since the issue of birthdays (even though you meant the heavenly kind) came up, I figured I would include some of the exceptions.

 

[bjmiller100753]

My question is this. How did the Church decide the order of the Liturgical Calendar? As I was taking down the nativity set today, I wondered why Lent and Easter happen so quickly after the Christmas season. Shouldn’t Lent / Easter happen much later in the Liturgical Year since Christmas celebrates the beginning of Christ’s life and Easter celebrates his resurrection? I know this is a simplistic question and I also know there is a very good reason the Church has laid out the calendar in this way. I am NOT suggesting the Church change; I just want to understand why the Liturgical Calendar is laid out the way it is. Thank you!

Based on the responses I have gotten so far I don’t think I asked my question clearly enough. Let me try again. If the Christmas season (the beginning of Christ’s life) takes place in late December / early January wouldn’t it seem more logical that Lent / Easter (the end of Christ’s life) would take place in say September / October? (Which would leave 1-2 months for reflection before we start all over again.) I truly aplogize for not explaining this as clearly as I would like.

 

[benedictgal]

Based on the responses I have gotten so far I don’t think I asked my question clearly enough. Let me try again. If the Christmas season (the beginning of Christ’s life) takes place in late December / early January wouldn’t it seem more logical that Lent / Easter (the end of Christ’s life) would take place in say September / October? (Which would leave 1-2 months for reflection before we start all over again.) I truly aplogize for not explaining this as clearly as I would like.

First of all, you need to remember when the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus occurred. This happened during Passover, the highest and most important of all of the Jewish celebrations. That is why Easter is located in the spring because that is in close proximity to Passover (and, that is why the lunar calculation is important when determining the dates each year).

Furthermore, remember, too, that the Church reckons all of her holy days from the celebration of the Paschal Triduum. During the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the Church issues the ancient proclamation of the Date of Easter:

Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany
Introduction

1. The Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany dates from a time when calendars were not readily available. It was necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date. The number of Sundays that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday, and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in relation to Easter.
2. Although calendars now give the date of Easter and the other feasts in the liturgical year in advance, the Epiphany proclamation still has value. It is a reminder of the centrality of the resurrection of the Lord in the liturgical year and the importance of the great mysteries of faith which are celebrated each year.
3. Each year the proper dates for Holy Thursday, Ash Wednesday, Ascension, Pentecost, and the First Sunday of Advent must be inserted into the text. These dates are found in the table which is included with the introductory documents of the Sacramentary. The form to be used for announcing each date is: the date of month, e.g., “the seventh of April.”

Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return.

Through the rhythms of times and seasons let us celebrate
the mysteries of salvation. Let us recall the year’s culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord: his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial, and his rising celebrated between the evening of the (date) of (month) (date of Holy Thursday) and the evening of the (date) of (month) (date of Easter Sunday).

Each Easter - as on each Sunday - the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death.

From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the (date) of (month). The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the (date) of (month). Pentecost, the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter, will be celebrated on the (date) of
(month).

Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the passover of Christ in the feasts of the holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints, and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.
To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history, be endless praise, for ever and ever.
R. Amen. [Amen. Amen.]

Furthermore, the early Church considered the Paschal Triduum more important than Christmas. That is not to say that the Nativity of the Lord was unimportant, but, the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus are the salvific mysteries. As far as the date of Christmas is concerned, Pope Benedict makes an excellent case for it to be December 25th because it ties in closely with the Feast of Hannukah, where Judas Maccabeaus purified the Temple and restored the light. When Jesus was born, he was the True Light that had come into the world.

I hope this helps.
Furthermore,