When does Sunday end?

[tee_eff_em]

The term “liturgical day” refers to that period of time (approximately one day, but sometimes as long as 8 calendar days) in which the Church celebrates a given feast or other commemoration.

Father,

Do you mean to tell me that if, between 23:59 on Good Friday and 23:59 Saturday in the Octave of Easter, I assist at Mass exactly once, on Wednesday morning, I have fulfilled my obligation to assist at Mass for Easter Sunday??

tee

 

[Vico]

You keep insisting that a liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight, and you do this by quoting the very norms that show that a liturgical day sometimes begins at midnight and sometimes begins in the evening…It’s been quite puzzling to me.

Reading your last few posts, I finally realized the issue.

You don’t understand what the term “liturgical day” actually means.

You keep trying to defend something without first understanding it.

The term “liturgical day” refers to that period of time (approximately one day, but sometimes as long as 8 calendar days) in which the Church celebrates a given feast or other commemoration.

The time-period of a liturgical day does not always match with a calendar day because it does not need to match, and indeed sometimes it should not do so.

Realizing that the two kinds of days do not always correspond, the Church uses the term “liturgical day” to distinguish that time-period from a day as it appears in the calendar (ie midnight to midnight).

At first, I thought you were just denying that such a thing as a liturgical day exists, but re-reading your posts here made me realize that the real issue is that you don’t understand what the term itself means.

I see nothing there (General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar) that states that the liturgical day is other than midnight to midnight. Seasons and Octaves are described, composed of days.12. The celebration of Easter and Christmas, the two greatest solemnities, continues for eight days, with each octave governed by its own rules.

1. The first eight days of the Easter season make up the octave of Easter and are celebrated as solemnities of the Lord.
2. Christmas has its own octave, arranged as follows:
   a. Sunday within the octave is the feast of the Holy Family;
   b. 26 December is the feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr;
   c. 27 December is the feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist;
   d. 28 December is the feast of the Holy Innocents;
   e. 29, 30, and 31 December are days within the octave;
   f. 1 January, the octave day of Christmas, is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It also recalls the conferral of the holy Name of Jesus.​
   Easter triduum of the Lord’s passion and resurrection are in the table as I - 1.
   Christmas and Days of the Octave of Easter are in the table as I - 2.
   Days of the Octave of Nativity are in the table as II - 9.

 

[FrDavid96]

I see nothing there (General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar) that states that the liturgical day is other than midnight to midnight.

The reason why you don’t “see” it is because you don’t understand what it’s saying.

It is exactly the text that you keep quoting:

The liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight, but the observance of Sunday and solemnities begins with the evening of the preceding day.
GENERAL NORMS FOR THE LITURGICAL YEAR AND THE CALENDAR

That’s the definition of a liturgical day: the time-period for celebrating a given feast or commemoration. It is an observance. It is usually one day (one calendar day from midnight to midnight) but there are some exceptions (ie solemnities) when it begins the evening-prior.

You keep arguing the point just for the sake of being argumentative. The bottom line is that you don’t understand the definition of the term “liturgical day.”

 

[ProVobis]

Saint John Paul II approved the Missale Romanum in 2002, the editio typica tertia, four years after 1998 Domini Dies.

FWIW, the MR does not apply to the EF. However Canon Law does.

 

[Vico]

The reason why you don’t “see” it is because you don’t understand what it’s saying.

It is exactly the text that you keep quoting:
The liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight, but the observance of Sunday and solemnities begins with the evening of the preceding day.
GENERAL NORMS FOR THE LITURGICAL YEAR AND THE CALENDARThat’s the definition of a liturgical day: the time-period for celebrating a given feast or commemoration. It is an observance. It is usually one day (one calendar day from midnight to midnight) but there are some exceptions (ie solemnities) when it begins the evening-prior.

You keep arguing the point just for the sake of being argumentative. The bottom line is that you don’t understand the definition of the term “liturgical day.”

Those are two different concepts: the liturgical day and the celebration of the solemnity. Observance begins on the preceding day sometimes:

1. Solemnities are counted as the principal days in the calendar and their observance begins with Evening Prayer I of the preceding day.

 

[dans0622]

Another quote from the article I referenced earlier: “while the liturgical celebration of a Sunday or holy day of obligation begins in the evening that precedes it, the liturgical day and the canonical day do not start until midnight” (p. 397).

It’s an informative work, based on the author’s JCL thesis, I think. I learned a lot from it.

I do think he certainly put the final nail in the coffin of the question about fulfilling two Mass obligations with attendance at one Mass, saying it isn’t possible. For a time, I thought it was an open question but, as I say, I think he buried the “yes” answer.

Dan

 

[FrDavid96]

Those are two different concepts: the liturgical day and the celebration of the solemnity. Observance begins on the preceding day sometimes:

1. Solemnities are counted as the principal days in the calendar and their observance begins with Evening Prayer I of the preceding day.

No. They are not 2 different concepts. They are one and the same.

 

[Bookcat]

The liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight, but the observance of Sunday and solemnities begins with the evening of the preceding day.
GENERAL NORMS FOR THE LITURGICAL YEAR AND THE CALENDAR

The liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight.

the observance of Sunday and solemnities begins with the evening of the preceding day.

Each line there is important - and each word.

Thus the answer to the question of the thread is: Midnight.

If one wishes to discuss when one can begin to observe Sunday (ie full fulfill ones Sunday obligation to attend Mass) one may do so the evening of the day before (Saturday).

 

[ProVobis]

I do think he certainly put the final nail in the coffin of the question about fulfilling two Mass obligations with attendance at one Mass, saying it isn’t possible. For a time, I thought it was an open question but, as I say, I think he buried the “yes” answer.

Dan

IMO this is really the underlying issue, regardless of what “liturgical day” or “liturgical point of view” mean. It works for BOTH the OF and EF. Thanks.