Purpose and meaning of feast days

[Sheeniac]

All,

I understand that feast days are celebrations, but do we really celebrate them? Are feast days meaningful at all any more?

How are they designated?

Curiously, Juli

 

[John_Lilburne]

Yes, feast days are meaningful providing a reminder of saints or aspects of Christ and Our Lady. There are three ranks of feasts: Solemnities, feasts and memorials. Memorials can be optional or obligatory.

 

[LilyM]

Well, given that there are feasts, solemnities and memorials every single week of the year they’re not all going to be of supreme importance to all of us. Those that are or should be important to all Christians - Holy Week, Pentecost and Christmas - more or less have built in preparatory periods for them.

If you feel that the public celebration of a particular feast is insufficient for you you may wish to undertake some private devotion to remind you of its significance. Start a novena for that feast or saint nine days beforehand, for example.

Those of us, on the other hand, who may have a particular devotion to a Saint or an aspect of the lives of Our Lord or Our Lady will indeed celebrate and honour the feast days of those that are special to them, and usually keep them in our hearts year round anyway!